The Harem Saga Sequel
by Jeffery Harris
Summary: Originally posted on the old TMFFA, ported over by request.
1. Introduction

I've been asked on several occasions if there would be a follow-up to the "Harem Saga". My reply was usually, "Probably not; it is so far off-canon now that any additions would look pretty strange." But...never say never; I have to admit that I did toy with a couple of story ideas.

However, after actually starting on one of them, I discovered that I just don't have the time to launch into another long fan-fic, particularly as I am trying to write a novel (which has nothing to do with the Tenchiverse), not to mention the long list of mundane obligations that fill my days. What I did, though, was compromise:

_**Vignette**_

_(source: ):_

_**n**  
1: a brief literary description [syn: sketch]  
2: a photograph whose edges shade off gradually  
3: a small illustrative sketch (as sometimes placed at the beginning of chapters in books)._

Or, in modern parlance, a "teaser".

What I will do is provide a vignette for each story idea I tinkered around with. Each vignette will give you, The Reader, a flavor for how a related story might have gotten started. Perhaps someday, if I find the time and energy, I might even expand upon each vignette...never say never, after all.

As always, the characters of Tenchi Muyo! were created by Masaki Kajashima, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. The attached stories, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2005 by Jeffery L. Harris. Said stories came entirely from my imagination, and is not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L Harris  
Subject: "The Harem Saga Sequel - Introduction"


	2. EPISODE 1  Noike

_I get a little tongue-twisted  
Ev'ry time I talk to you, when I see you  
And I'm so glad that you just missed it  
The way I stared to memorize your face  
To kiss you in my mind  
Love you all the time_

_(Chorus)_  
'_Cause, when I close my eyes  
I still can see your smile  
It's bright enough to light my life  
Out of my darkest hour  
Please believe it's true  
When I tell you I love you_

_I've taken too many chances  
Searching for the truth in love that's in my heart  
Tell me if I've made the wrong advances  
Tell me if I've made you feel ashamed_  
'_Cause I know I have to do this  
Would you hold my hand right through it?_

_(Chorus)_  
'_Cause, when I close my eyes  
I still can see your smile  
It's bright enough to light my life  
Out of my darkest hour  
Please believe it's true  
When I tell you I love you_

_(Bridge)_

_I had to let you know just what would happen  
Yes, I had to let you know the truth  
I know I've got to do this  
Would you hold my hand right through it?  
Would you?_

_(Chorus:)_  
'_Cause, when I close my eyes  
I still can see your smile  
It's bright enough to light my life  
Out of my darkest hour_

_(Chorus:)_  
'_Cause, when I close my eyes  
I still can see your smile  
It's bright enough to light my life  
Out of my darkest hour_

I know now this is true  
When I tell you I love you

Title: "I See Your Smile"  
Artist: Gloria Estefan

Noike Sakatsu Kamiki entered the room slowly, maintaining her calm and dignity as best as she was able. Her hostess was her _plimalshibe_, her adopted sister, Misaki Kamiki Masaki, former queen of the Juraian Empire and retired bodyguard to her late husband.

Misaki was an imposing figure, large-boned and muscular, whose single periwinkle-colored ponytail swayed rhythmetically as she walked, and whose persimmon-colored eyes twinkled mischievously in the presence of her family. Her richly-embroidered robes swept around her feet like stately curtains, whispering softly along the floor.

Noike herself was dressed in a conservative business suit, her teal-tinted hair arranged in a style similar to Misaki's. She kept her grass-green eyes focused ahead, her facial expression as neutral as she could render it. She made no sound at all, merely another shadow gliding through the room.

The room was the common area of the residential suite that served the Juraian Royal Family, a comfortable blend of stuffed furniture, bookcases, mementos, lighting and electronics. Noike had been here many times, for informal visits and even minor crises, but this was her first truly formal visit.

Waiting for Noike were the members of the royal serail:

* Ayeka Masaki Jurai was the epitome of refinement and grace: slender of build, artfully clothed, subtly painting the air with her restrained gestures and mannerisms. Her ankle-length ponytails, a shimmering azure in color, were carefully combed and arrayed in the traditional fashion for Juraian matrons. And her eyes were the color of a fine cabernet, at once deep and perceptive.

* Washu Masaki Jurai was lithe and curvaceous, whose elfin face was dominated by emerald eyes that glinted with mirth and wisdom, and whose waist-length scarlet hair sprouted from her scalp like sheaves of grain bending under their own weight. Though dressed in a custom-tailored suit of soft pastels, it seemed an ill-fit, as though she was more at ease in casual clothing.

* Ryoko Masaki Jurai was an athletic figure in a charcoal-gray security officer's uniform. Her cyan-colored mane erupted from her head like a flash-frozen explosion, which matched the predatory gleam of her golden eyes. Her movements were deceptively slow, her posture deceptively soft, hiding the coiled spring ready to lash out if provoked or challenged.

* Mihoshi Masaki Jurai was a tall and willowy figure poured into the uniform of a Galaxy Police officer, with an incredible shock of blonde hair that enveloped her head. Eyes the color of polished turquoise defined an owl-like stare, giving the false impression of vacuous imbecility rather than her true vigilant ingeniousness. She grinned at her former GP partner.

* Sasami Masaki was the 16-year-old fiancée, the cherub-faced sister of Ayeka. The family resemblance was unmistakable — eyes the color of cherry blossoms, twin aquamarine pony-tails tied back in the traditional fashion — without diminishing her own spark of bubbly individualism — her robes were of the same cut and drape as Ayeka's, but more vibrant in color and weave.

Misaki bowed, a graceful gesture that initiated the proceedings. Though technically not the senior wife, Ayeka returned the bow and gestured for her mother to assume a seat placed discreetly along the wall. Ayeka was the formal spokesperson for the Royal Family, the public mouthpiece steeped in protocol and traditions, and Misaki's jisshibe, the oldest daughter. Misaki smiled and retired to her place.

Ayeka indicated a seat for Noike, placed in the center of the room.

Noike bowed and accepted the seat, remaining impassive.

"My hastaba tells me you have a petition to present to us," Ayeka began, her head nodding to include her kardesshibelar. Noike cast a glance at them, noting that their expressions ranged from placidly nondescript to openly suspicious.

Noike had expected nothing less. She steeled herself and accepted the gauntlet. "Yes, Lady Ayeka, I have."

"No need to be so formal, hastabashibe Noike."

"Perhaps it is best if we are, at least until you have heard my request."

"I think we already have a pretty good idea what it is," Washu drawled, her lop-sided grin a clear indicator that she was enjoying the whole exercise.

"Yeah, it's not that hard to figure out," Ryoko added, features drawn into a tight mask.

"Sisters, please, let us maintain our decorum," Ayeka said, firmly squelching any further interruptions. She turned back to Noike, who hadn't moved a muscle. "Please feel free to be as casual or as formal as you like — but allow us the same consideration."

Noike nodded, accepting the terms.

"Would you like some refreshment? Tea, perhaps?"

"No thank you."

Ryoko_ - I could sure use a stiff drink_

Mihoshi_ - I'll second that_

Ayeka_ - And I'd join you — just not now_

There was no outward sign of the mental exchange, but Noike was positive that the women were communicating telepathically..._she_ certainly would, if the circumstances were reversed. Well, she had played to hostile audiences before, she knew how to keep her cool.

Ayeka didn't miss a beat: "Very well, let's get to down to the subject of this meeting. What is your request?"

"I would like to marry the emperor, and to become part of this family." There, she'd said it. She'd rehearsed it often enough, adding and subtracting words, changing the emphasis, looking for the best phrasing. In the end, it had simply escaped her in its simplest and most economical form.

Ayeka glared at Ryoko and Mihoshi when they started to object, and cast a warning eye as Washu chuckled. Only Sasami seemed unmoved and silent. For herself, she cleared her throat after swallowing her own reaction. "I see. What does His Majesty think of your proposal?"

The shift in formality was not lost on Noike. "I have not discussed it with him. He is unaware of my feelings."

"Why haven't you discussed it with him?"

"I would seek your collective approval before broaching the subject to him."

"By tradition, that decision rests with our husband."

"In reality, that decision is approved by the whole family."

"A wise analysis."

"Tenchi is very perceptive," Washu added, "and I think he's probably more aware of your feelings than you know."

Mihoshi_ - And he didn't discuss that with us?_

Washu_ - What's there to discuss?_

Ryoko_ - Yeah, he's not the one looking to expand the family_

Mihoshi_ - That's true..._

Ayeka_ - Please stay focused, Sisters_

"I suppose Grandma Seto put you up to this?" Sasami demanded.

"Why would you think that?" Noike answered.

"She tried that trick once already," Sasami replied frostily. "Seems to me that's how you ended-up on kardestaba Funaho's goon squad."

Ryoko_ - Ouch_

Mihoshi_ - It wasn't a 'goon squad', Sasami_

Sasami_ - I know what it was_

Mihoshi_ - She replaced Ryoko and I so that — _

Sasami_ - So that you two could have babies. I said I know all that_

"That was not the exact sequence of events, nor the complete purpose," Noike said.

"Uh, huh: the attempted engagement was all a pretense, just a ruse to keep an eye on the crown prince and his heavily-armed family." Sasami actually sneered.

"That's a close approximation, yes." Noike inwardly seethed: she didn't like the accusatory tone of her niece. However, she also knew better than to take the bait...and was more than a little surprised by Sasami's open hostility.

"So why pursue the matter?" Washu asked thoughtfully.

"Because..." Noike hesitated.

"Because...what?" Ryoko prompted.

Noike lowered her gaze, at a loss for words. How could she explain her feelings to these women? How could she explain how she felt in his presence...how she took advantage of every opportunity to be near him...how his face appeared in all of her daydreams and nightdreams? In other times and places, she would be risking censure and the consequences of adultery; fortunately, Juraian culture permitted cluster marriages. But such arrangements came with a price: she could never have him all to herself, a condition these women had learned to live with...and now she was asking to join them. "Because I've fallen in love with him."

"_Every_ woman falls in love with him," Ayeka replied. "It's that Power envelope of his. You happen to be a Master Class adept, like we are, and thus more susceptible to it than most."

"No," Noike sighed, "that's not it all. I've been around him on two occasions when he's manifested his Lighthawk Wings. I recognized my physiological responses, and have learned to deal with them accordingly."

"Impressive," Washu said.

"And convenient," Ryoko added.

"Excuse me?" Noike asked.

"We're still trying to build an immunity to that envelope, even after six years," Mihoshi explained.

"Ah, I was...unaware...of the extent of the issue," Noike replied. Though two of these women were kin, they kept their secrets very well: she had no idea an immunity was even possible. She would have to think about that fact, when time permitted.

"At least we know it's not love at first sight," Sasami mocked.

"No, It is not a sudden thing. It has grown and blossomed over time, during quiet moments alone with him, the discussions and solitary meetings. He is such a kind and decent man..."

Ryoko_ - Family Note: No more private conversations for Tenchi and single women_

Mihoshi_ - Duly noted and logged_

Ayeka_ - Agreed_

Washu_ - Oh, c'mon now..._

Misaki cleared her throat, drawing all eyes her direction. "I don't think Mother has anything to do with this."

"What makes you say that?" Sasami asked. "Grandmother's deviousness is legendary."

"This isn't her style, Sasami, dear. Have you ever known the Demon Princess to try the same tactic twice?"

"No, I guess not..."

"Besides, what possible advantage would there be in this for her? House Masaki and House Kamiki are already unified in marriage; marrying Noike off to another clan makes more sense."

"She has already tried that on several occasions," Noike said evenly to her _vicshibe_.

"Does she even know you're here?" Washu asked, grinning wickedly.

"No."

Washu unleashed a thunderous cackle. "Don't be so sure of that!"

"Very well, I will rephrase the statement: I did not inform Lady Seto of my plans. My personal life is not a subject for her manipulation."

"Someone should tell that to grandmother," Sasami drawled.

"I'm not all that up to speed on political arrangements," Washu continued, "but I seem to recall that affairs of the heart take a back seat to affairs of state."

"I do not choose to comply with that principle. My mother will simply have to accept the realities."

"You do have guts," Ryoko said.

"Such opinions are always easier spoken than applied," Ayeka warned, mindful of her late father's attempts to marry her off for political gain. A sympathetic note echoed within her breast, as she recalled her own defiance in the pursuit of the man she loved. She studied her aunt from beneath knitted eyebrows. "Looked at logically, this situation does accrue some benefits for our family."

"Oh?" Sasami spit the single syllable.

"Not only does it virtually merge two great houses, but our immediate family acquires another Royal Tree." Ayeka was referring to Kyoko, Noike's arboreal Companion, one of the rare subspace-bending sentients who chose to bond with humans.

"Founding a dynasty?" Washu asked, smiling.

"Why not?" Ayeka countered, pointedly not smiling. She turned back to Noike. "You say you love Tenchi, that this is not some political machination or Power-induced rapture. Can you prove any of that?"

"No," Noike answered simply. "Could you prove your feelings for His Majesty six years ago?"

"No, I could not. Either he could see my love, or he couldn't."

Ryoko_ - What about risking our necks...? _

Ayeka_ - He did the same for us — and how many times did we argue over whether that was due to affection or obligation? _

"Love often causes us to do irrational things," Washu mused. "I think defying Lady Seto falls into that category."

"So does trying to sell us on the idea," Ryoko added.

"This was not a hasty decision," Noike replied. "I did not simply decide one day that I would like to marry into the Imperial Family. I have given this decision the full consideration it deserves. Protocols must be observed: I am formally seeking your approval."

"What if you don't get it?"

"That will...complicate...matters."

"Yeah, I'm sure it will."

"But it won't deter you, will it?" Ayeka asked. They exchanged glances, and for one brief instant Noike lowered her guard and allowed Ayeka to gauge the depth of her aunt's feelings: she really was in love with Tenchi, and would accept any conditions to be with him.

"No," Noike said, breaking eye contact, and leaving Ayeka with an impression that mirrored her own mindset — and that of her _kardesshibelar_.

Washu_ - You ladies might as well admit what your real objection is_

Mihoshi_ - Our real objection?_

Washu_ - You're afraid of sharing Tenchi, just like you were back on Earth. You were all so sure that he was incapable of loving more than one woman. Hasn't six years of marriage to him dispelled that notion?_

Mihoshi_ - Well..._

Washu_ - Tenchi's love cannot be diluted_

Mihoshi_ - We don't even know his feelings about all of this_

Ryoko_ - I do_

Mihoshi_ - You do?_

Ryoko_ - Yeah. If he was interested in someone else, I'd know it_

Mihoshi_ - Are you so sure of that?_

Ryoko_ - Positive_

Ayeka_ - Sisters, we were discussing Noike's proposal..._

Washu_ - I don't doubt that she'd fit right in here_

Sasami_ - So would a pet dog_

Ayeka_ - Sasami! Must you be so crude?_

Sasami_ - Must you be so blind?_

Ryoko_ - I have to admit, I don't like the idea much_

Ayeka_ - It is unsettling, I agree — but it was likely to happen sooner or later_

Ryoko_ - Care to explain that?_

Ayeka_ - Politics; at some point Tenchi may be required to marry a foreign princess to cement an alliance_

Ryoko_ - Tenchi would never do that!_

Ayeka_ - Yes he would, if it meant keeping the peace and expanding the empire_

Ryoko_ - You can't be serious_

Ayeka_ - I am very serious — and I would encourage him to do it_

Washu_ - Finally! At least one of you sees the realities_

Sasami_ - I can't believe I'm hearing this_

Ayeka_ - You've been hearing this sort of logic since you were in diapers, reishibe_

Washu_ - Look on the bright side: Noike loves Tenchi, and she's no stranger around here_

Ryoko_ - So what?_

Ayeka_ - She can be trusted_

Ryoko_ - Again, so what?_

Ayeka_ - If this was strictly a political arrangement, we could never let her out of our sight — or alone with our children_

Ryoko_ - Oh..._

Mihoshi_ - For the sake of argument, let's say we agree to this. Then what?_

Ayeka_ - Another royal wedding, another honeymoon, another resident in this suite..._

Ryoko_ - I definitely don't like that list_

Mihoshi_ - Me neither_

Ryoko_ - How are we supposed to deal with all that?_

Ayeka_ - We would adapt, Sisters, as we have always adapted_

Sasami_ - Why should we?_

Ayeka_ - Because Tenchi is not willing to give any of us up. Because none of us is willing to give him up. And because..._

Ryoko_ - Because...what?_

Ayeka_ - I don't believe she is willing to give him up, either_

Mihoshi_ - I could tell you stories about her determination_

Ryoko_ - This just gets better and better_

Washu_ - As I see it, the biggest adjustment would be expanding The Schedule_

Ryoko_ - One week in four is already a strain_

Sasami_ - One week in five_

Washu_,_ Mihoshi_,_ Ayeka_,_ Ryoko_ - Excuse me?_

Sasami_ - Ok, ok, so it will be one week in five in a couple of years..._

Ryoko_ - That's what I like about you, Sasami, always looking to the future_

It wasn't hard for Noike to guess that the long pause and exchanged glances were signs of another high-speed, closed conversation. She waited patiently, not only out of necessity, but fascinated by the group dynamics occurring: she could almost feel the ebb and flow of emotions surging silently around her.

Sasami_ - You want to talk about adjustments? Where will she sleep?_

Washu_ - Oh, I'll build something for her_

Sasami_ - Why don't you just give her my room? I won't be needing it..._

Ryoko_ - What's that supposed to mean?_

Sasami_ - Five rooms, five wives — guess I'll just go back to the other side of the Palace with Mother_

Ayeka_ - Is that's what's upsetting you, Sasami? Are you afraid of being replaced?_

Sasami_ - Yes_

Mihoshi_ - Where did you ever get that idea?_

Sasami_ - From Tenchi_

Washu_,_ Mihoshi_,_ Ayeka_,_ Ryoko_ - Huh?_

Sasami_ - Don't you remember his 'Fist of Jurai' speech? Who ever heard of a six-fingered hand?_

Washu_ - Oh, Sasami, that was just an analogy, long since outdated. It was never meant as a policy_

Ayeka_ - No one in this room will ever be replaced, reishibe_

Sasami_ - You can all say that because you're already married to him_

Washu_ - That's not it all_

Sasami_ - Right..._

Washu_ - Sasami, Tenchi loves you, he's not about to discard you for anyone else_

Just then one of the side doors irised open, admitting two children. The older, taller child was a five-year-old girl with a spray of flaming red hair that hung well down her back. She marched directly over to her mother, climbing onto Washu's lap with the certainty that she belonged there. The other child, a four-year-old boy with a mop of spiky brown hair, hesitated in the doorway as he became aware of all the adult eyes focused on him. Ayeka gestured and he ran over to stand beside his mother.

"Achika, be a good girl and go sit with Grandma Misaki," Washu whispered. Achika looked over at the inviting smile and waiting arms, and hopped to the floor.

"Could you please sit with Grandma Misaki? Ayeka asked her son. He nodded, started to walk past Noike, and stopped — then grinned at her and climbed onto her lap, snuggling down for an extended stay. "Azusa..." Ayeka sighed.

"I don't mind if he doesn't," Noike grinned, wrapping her arms around her niece's son. He noticed the locket she was wearing and started to examine it.

Ryoko_ - He's Tenchi's son, alright_

Ayeka_ - So much for formality_

Mihoshi_ - Look at her — no wonder Azusa feels so comfortable_

Sasami_ - Yeah, whatever..._

Washu_ - This decision affects the kids, too, you know_

Mihoshi_ - I hadn't thought about that_

Ryoko_ - Maybe I should wake up Nagisa and see how Noike handles a grumpy infant_

Mihoshi_ - Something tells me she'd do just fine_

Ayeka_ - She was raised in an orphanage, so she works well with children_

Washu_ - Of all ages, I'm thinking_

Sasami_ - What's that supposed to mean?_

Washu_ - It means she wouldn't deliberately hurt your feelings_

Ayeka_ - She's our aunt, Sasami — you've always been real close to her_

Sasami_ - I wasn't competing against her before_

Washu_ - And you wouldn't be now, either_

Sasami_ - Prove it_

"There is an issue that needs settled before this discussion goes any further," Washu announced.

"What issue is that?" Noike replied.

Before Washu could respond, Sasami interrupted her: "I've been waiting _years_ for my wedding, and I will NOT have it postponed by a single minute!"

Noike sat in stunned silence, comprehension dawning on her — she had been so busy focusing upon the current wives in all of her plans, that she had overlooked the conviction of the future wife. A complication, but not an insurmountable one. "You are correct, Sasami; it would not be proper to interfere with existing plans. I would be happy to accept a betrothal, and await my turn at the altar."

Everyone turned to observe Sasami, who sat in silent introspection. She was weighing the concession made, and her own happy memories of time spent with Aunt Noike, against the prospect of sharing her future time with Tenchi.

Ayeka_ - She really is one of us, reishibe_

Sasami_ - Ok...as long as she's willing to wait her turn_

Washu_ - Mihoshi?_

Mihoshi_ - She was pretty bossy, as I recall..._

Washu_ - Does anyone — even Tenchi — tell you how to run your household or raise your daughter?_

Mihoshi_ - No_

Washu_ - So what makes you think that will be tolerated from her?_

Mihoshi_ - Nothing, I guess. And she is a pretty good cook, now that I think about it..._

Ryoko_ - I'm still not convinced_

Washu_ - Well, instead of one week at a time, maybe we should cut back to five days at a time...or even four..._

Ryoko_ - I'm in_

"There is one other obstacle," Washu continued.

"What is that?" Noike asked.

"Somebody ought to ask Tenchi if he wants another wife."

"_I_ will ask him that question," Noike said softly, smiling for the first time.

Misaki rose from her seat and moved to the center of the room. "Is there consensus, then? The betrothal is permitted?"

Ayeka looked around before nodding. "Yes, Mother, we are agreed. As long as Tenchi accepts the proposal, we will not object."

"Accept what proposal?" Tenchi asked. He had entered the room quietly, unnoticed, and now stood framed by the doorway. Little Azusa came bounding over, followed by Achika, both demanding to be scooped up. For a moment, the emperor of humanity's largest interstellar empire knocked heads with his giggling children, only gradually becoming aware of the secretive smiles of his serail, the shy inspection by Noike, and the unabashed glee of his mother-in-law. "Uh, oh...now what?"

############ AUTHOR'S NOTES ############

As mentioned elsewhere, the characters of Tenchi Muyo! were created by Masaki Kajashima, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. The attached story, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2005 by Jeffery L. Harris. Said story came entirely from my imagination, and is not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L Harris  
Subject: "The Harem Saga Sequel - Noike"


	3. EPISODE 2  The Pranquay

_What an agent, what a squirrel  
He's got the country in a whirl.  
What's his name?  
Shhh...Secret Squirrel.  
He's got tricks, up his sleeve,  
Most bad guys, won't believe.  
A bullet proof coat, a cannon hat,  
A machine gun cane with a rat tat tat tat._

_Fights foreign spies  
In his disguise,  
Takes him many places,  
He's a squirrel of many faces,  
Who's that?  
Who's that?  
Who's that?  
Shhh...Secret Squirrel._

Title: "Secret Squirrel" Theme Song  
Artist: Television/TV Show Soundtrack

"You know, the only difference between a throne room and a barn is that the occupants of the latter are a lot more humble."

That observation came from Washu Masaki Jurai, whispered into the ear of her sister-wife Ayeka, who nodded in agreement. The comment could very well have been transmitted telepathically, but Washu had a sneaking suspicion that someone in the crowd of official guests and palace flunkies had smuggled a remote microphone into the palace — so why not give the perpetrator a little rope to hang himself/herself with?

Washu and the other members of the Imperial Serail — wives Ayeka, Ryoko, and Mihoshi, fiancées Sasami and Noike — were dressed in the splendid robes and tasteful jewelry expected of such august personages, and arrayed like so many trophies around the throne. Their husband, His Imperial Majesty Tenchi Masaki Jurai, occupied the high seat at the very center of the raised dais.

Tenchi wore the uniform of a Grand Admiral of the Juraian Navy, resplendent in gold filigree, an assortment of ribbons and decorations, and the Emblem of his knighthood. He appeared calm and confidant, nodding to familiar faces and smiling for the invited guests — the scions of the peerage, the high-ranking military officers, the representatives of the media, and the cognoscenti of the interstellar corporations — who packed the chamber.

Tenchi_ - How much longer do we have to stay up here?_

Ayeka_ - Now, Beloved, the guest of honor hasn't even arrived yet, so just be patient_

Ryoko_ - I'm with Tenchi: let's bail and go drink in the onsen_

Washu_ - You aren't helping matters, Little Ryoko_

Sasami_ - I'm getting tired of standing up here_

Mihoshi_ - Why don't we get chairs like Tenchi?_

Noike_ - Because we aren't the guiding light for hundreds of planets and thousands of habitats_

Washu_ - Besides, the true powers behind the throne should actually _stand_ behind the throne_

Sasami_ - I'm beside the throne, not behind it. And my feet are starting to hurt in these shoes_

Mihoshi_ - Tenchi, you're the Emperor — order the steward to bring some chairs up here_

Tenchi_ - Sounds good to me_

Ayeka_ - Really, Sisters, that is so non-traditional_

Ryoko_ - Tradition be hanged_

Sasami_ - At least Ryoko can hover when she gets tired..._

Noike_ - And the Minister of Protocol always grumbles about that_

Ryoko_ - Maybe he should be hanged, too_

Ayeka_ - Ryoko!_

Tenchi_ - I may be the only one sitting, but I'm also the only one wearing a dog collar — dang, this thing is tight_

Washu_,_ Ayeka_,_ Ryoko_,_ Mihoshi_,_ Sasami_,_ Noike_ - Stop fidgeting!_

Tenchi_ - I'll make you ladies a deal: if I can I ditch the collar, then you can have some chairs. Sound reasonable?_

Ayeka_ - No_

Sasami_ - Speak for yourself_

Mihoshi_ - Noike, what are you looking at?_

Noike_ - I was examining that silver gown along the wall, back by the third pillar on the left_

Sasami_ - The one Baroness Rohfsett is wearing?_

Noike_ - Yes_

Mihoshi_ - Wow, that thing is tight_

Sasami_ - It looks sprayed on_

Ayeka_ - Is that a custom-tailored gown? If so, she should get her money back_

Mihoshi_ - That material is so shiny it looks like she's wearing a thousand mirrors_

Ryoko_ - Yeah, I couldn't decide if the men around her are dazzled by her reflections or her figure_

Sasami_ - They do seem a bit goggle-eyed..._

Noike_ - Then the good baroness _did_ get her money's worth_

Ayeka_ - She's quite attractive, wouldn't you agree, Beloved?_

Tenchi_ - Really? I hadn't noticed_

Ryoko_ - Which is why you're still in one piece_

Washu_ - Let him look, Ryoko — the day he loses interest in that subject is the day he'll be of no further use to us_

Ryoko_ - Good point_

Tenchi_ - Ouch!_

Sasami_ - Something wrong, Tenchi?_

Tenchi_ - Erm...I'm strangling in this collar...and none of you look good in black_

Ryoko_ - Actually, I look terrific in black_

Mihoshi_ - Now I'm starting to get tired_

Washu_ - Cheer up, everyone, the monitor just announced the arrival of the Pranquay delegation_

Ryoko_ - It's about time_

Ayeka_ - Beloved, what are you doing?_

Tenchi_ - Trying to loosen this dog collar_

Washu_,_ Ayeka_,_ Ryoko_,_ Mihoshi_,_ Sasami_,_ Noike_ - STOP FIDGETING!_

##########

Tenchi didn't get a chance to talk to many non-human sapients; an occasional Wau now and then, and the galaxy-spanning Voudrathi just the previous year (his other experience had been less than pleasant: killing thousands of K'Vimm warriors during their recent Incursion). The memory of his briefing on the Pranquay was still very vivid: while his wives had been teasing their friend Kiyone Qualston about her very pregnant girth ("Just shut up, all of you!"), her husband, Sir Trinnard Qualston (Tenchi's friend, advisor, and sometime bodyguard), had provided Tenchi's first overview of the Pranquay:

"Don't underestimate them, Sire," Trinnard had warned.

"Why is that?" Tenchi asked. His eyes were focused upon the graphic being projected above the datapad in his hands.

"They look harmless enough," Ayeka said, looking over Tenchi's shoulder.

The ghostly image they watched was an animation of two non-human sentients, male and female, with accompanying statistics. Each figure was approximately mammalian in origin and humanoid in structure. Each was just under a meter in height, with a stout body, a large head, short legs and a bushy tail. Each was covered in short black fur with light gray highlights — particularly the tail, which floated behind the trunk like an immense question mark. Each was heavily decked with jewelry, wound around the hips with a kilt-like garment of wild colors and patterns, and wore a matching veil that covered the lower half of the face. The audio track filled the air with their chipmunk-like warbles, heads swiveling every which way, large soft eyes full of expression, and limbs a blur of exaggerated theatrical gestures. Overall, they seemed quite graceful and curious.

"Not very impressive looking...like squirrels or raccoons," Ryoko said, looking over Tenchi's other shoulder.

"Oh, I dunno, I think they're kinda cute!" Sasami added, peering over Ayeka's shoulder.

"Though they appear cute, they are extremely sly and dangerous. The Pranquay were a bronze-age culture when they were discovered — who promptly enslaved their benefactors, stole their space-faring technology, and embarked upon a wave of expansion and conquest that only ended when they ran into neighbors too large and too well-organized to defeat. The Pranquay Collective and the Juraian Empire have fought three wars in the last 1,800 years."

"Can they be trusted?" Noike asked, studying the graphic from vantage point above Sasami's shoulder.

"To honor agreements, yes...to a point."

"What point is that?" Ayeka asked.

"Their empire is divided up among dozens of clans, who defend their turf ferociously. They have learned to survive by cooperating, negotiating treaties, and abiding by them — but they will exploit any loopholes just as ferociously. They are unparalleled opportunists."

"What were the wars like?" Mihoshi asked, peeking around Ryoko's shoulder.

"Though both sides possessed technologies and numbers at parity, we alone possessed certain strategic assets."

"The Royal Trees," Washu said, giving the datapad a brief glance.

"Aye. The trees allowed the Juraian fleets to coordinate and concentrate their forces beyond anything the Pranquay could manage, even letting them outrun the news of successive Pranquay defeats. Also, the Juraian forces were composed of one fully-integrated race, while the Pranquayan armadas were composed of several barely-amalgamated slave races, sacrificed in waves designed to overwhelm all opposition."

"'Quantity has a quality all its own,'" Tenchi said.

"Joseph Stalin," Washu added, identifying the author of the quote. She gave Tenchi an approving grin.

"'Slave races'?" Noike asked. "How can something so innocuous-looking be able to enslave multiple sentient species?"

"It's not as hard as you think," Ryoko muttered.

Trinnard nodded. "Their ancestors evolved from ground-dwelling omnivores whose primary defensive weapon was a pressurized spray of musk from two scent glands located at the base of the tail."

"You mean, like a skunk?" Tenchi asked. "What do you know, a race of _Pepé Le Pew_ clones."

"Excuse me, Beloved, but I don't recognize that reference," Ayeka said.

"I do," Washu smirked, which faded rapidly. "And you'll know you're in deep trouble when one of them turns its back on you and points its tail directly at your face."

"E-w-w-w," Mihoshi said, wrinkling her nose.

"That doesn't sounds so bad...a bit disgusting, maybe," Sasami said.

"By itself, no," Trinnard continued. "However, as they evolved, they learned how to tailor the mix of the payload, so that the musk is fine-tuned to the target's biochemistry. In fact, the higher the intelligence level, the more effective the attack."

"How do they do they manage that feat?"

"By sniffing the fog of molecules that surrounds each and every living creature, and analyzing the contents. That's why they wear those veils — those are filters, and are worn as a courtesy and a sign of peaceful intent. If they remove the veils, then all hell is about to break loose." Trinnard studied his friend and emperor. "As I said, do not underestimate them."

"'Size matters not,'" Tenchi replied.

"Jedi Master Yoda," Washu added, once more identifying the author of the quote. She gave Tenchi another approving grin.

"And we're going to give them the Masaki Drive?" Sasami asked, voice bordering on incredulity.

"No," Ayeka replied, "we are going to negotiate an alliance with them, and offer them the Masaki Drive as an incentive."

"Whose brilliant idea was that?" Ryoko sneered.

"Lady Seto and Lady Funaho."

"Oh."

A softening of the background noise from a dull roar to a curious murmur roused Tenchi from his reverie. He could discern movement near the back of the audience hall, and the crowd started to part down the center of the room. He heard the steward announce a new arrival, somewhat muffled by the distance, the echo, and the lowing of the room's occupants.

##########

Ryoko_ - Tell me again why we're making a fuss over these critters? They've lost three wars, that should be enough leverage to convince them to cooperate_

Noike_ - We need willing allies, not cowed neighbors_

Mihoshi_ - Even the Galaxy Police doesn't know the full extent of their military capabilities. They may have a few nasty surprises tucked away_

Ryoko_ - Speaking of the GP: do they know all of our capabilities?_

Sasami_ - Yeah, like the Royal Trees?_

Mihoshi_ - Well, the trees are mentioned in the archives, but not their full potentials_

Ryoko_ - Gee, do you suppose that's what got the K'Vimm interested...?_

Ayeka_ - Be still, Sisters, and pay attention_

There were three aliens approaching the dais. In the center was the Pranquay ambassador, very dignified and proper in its carriage and decorum. Much of its fur was tinged in gray, turning a beautiful silver color along its spine. Its movements were slower, less embellished, and more refined than the examples in the graphic. The patterns on its clothing were softer and subtler, its jewelry simpler but more elegant.

Behind the ambassador shuffled two 'attendants' that looked like artist's renditions of goblins: heavily-muscled bodies shaped like gorilla/bear amalgams with massive frog-like heads, and dressed in body armor. Tenchi guessed that they had probably been armed, too — which would have been promptly confiscated by Palace Security (and which might explain the irritated expressions on their faces...or not).

Ryoko_ - What species are those bodyguards?_

Mihoshi_ - Those are Prolevians; males, from the looks of them_

Ayeka_ - A slave race?_

Mihoshi_ - I hadn't heard that they had been conquered, but the archives aren't kept current, and some of the information is just plain wrong_

Ayeka_ - We should discuss those archives some time..._

The entourage was escorted by a senior member of the Juraian diplomatic service, a career bureaucrat who towered over the alien ambassador (but was a full head shorter than the attendants). The human's attire was very austere, his decorations sparse and sumptuous. He, too, affected a very stately pace to keep abreast of his counterpart. (Interestingly enough, both sentients had jowly faces and a wave-like crest of hair that hung precipitously over the forehead. Tenchi wondered idly if the effect was deliberate.) "Your Majesty, allow me to introduce the Pranquay Ambassador, His Excellency Count Azouv-suqos Mishipishu."

Ryoko_ - So, the alien is male_

Ayeka_ - And an aristocrat_

Washu _- Careful, folks, the title is a translation, and an approximation at that_

Mihoshi_ - How long has it been since the last Pranquay delegation visited Jurai?_

Washu_ - 684 years ago — and judging by his fur color, it might have even been this guy_

Ayeka_ - Yes, he does appear rather mature..._

Mihoshi_ - That was right after Ryoko's attack, wasn't it?_

Ryoko_ - Yeah..._

Noike_ - Nice timing, especially if you're evaluating the extent of the damage and the state of the remaining defenses_

Sasami_ - Noike, you have a suspicious mind_

Noike_ - I'm ex-GP, Sasami, and some habits run deep — and notice that it was Mihoshi who asked about the timing_

Mihoshi_ - Well, it does seem rather convenient, considering they lost three wars to Jurai_

Sasami_ - Maybe it was just a coincidence_

Washu_ - Is there any such thing as a 'real coincidence'?_

The ambassador bowed with an impressive flourish. "In the name of the Grand Council of the Pranquay Collective, I bring Greetings to the Emperor of Jurai." His speech had a very pleasant brogue, rolling his 'r's and 's's and modulating his voice in a unique rhythm (which, to Tenchi, sounded amazingly like Jamaican English...spoken by a cartoon character). He smiled, his bushy eyebrows wiggling mischievously.

Ryoko_ - Arrogant little gint, isn't he? Look at him swagger_

Noike_ - Interesting that he speaks our language_

Ayeka_ - Look at the crowd: they seem quite taken with him_

Washu_ - I must say, he seems to have found the right formula to charm the locals with only a few words and gestures_

Sasami_ - I'm getting a bad feeling about this_

Ayeka_ - Oh? What in particular has made you uneasy?_

Sasami_ - Well..._

Ryoko_ - Could it be that the Pranquay have a long-standing grudge against Jurai?_

Mihoshi_ - Or their apparent sudden enslavement of the Prolevians?_

Noike_ - Or their ambassador's apparently effortless rapport with our assemblage?_

Ayeka_ - Sisters, please. Wouldn't you be gracious and grateful, too, if you were about to receive advanced military technology?_

Washu_ - And, you run the risk of assigning anthropomorphic behavior to a non-human sentient_

Sasami_ - I dunno...too bad Tenchi can't just scan his mind_

Tenchi_ - Actually, I did try_

Sasami_ - And...?_

Tenchi_ - The structure is just too foreign, too unrecognizable_

Ayeka_ - It's just as well; think of the diplomatic consequences if he was able to sense the intrusion_

Sasami_ - I tell you, something just doesn't feel right..._

Tenchi_ - I'll tell you what doesn't feel right — this stupid dog collar_

Washu_,_ Ayeka_,_ Ryoko_,_ Mihoshi_,_ Sasami_,_ Noike_ - STOP FIDGETING!_

############ AUTHOR'S NOTES ############

The Pranquay are not a new idea. Their existence was actually posited by Katherine MacLean, in an essay entitled "An Alien Sort of War", which I found in a collection of stories and essays entitled The Future at War, Vol III: Orion's Sword, edited by Reginald Bretnor, Copyright 1980 by Ace Science Fiction. She didn't call them 'the Pranquay', of course; but the idea stuck with me for many years, until I finally got a chance to use it. Here is the relevant excerpt from her essay:

_###_

_Imagine a planet on which the future master race, the creature with the creative, flexible mind, is at this primitive point in time a small, smelly, skunk-like creature which has learned to analyze and control its own hormone secretions. It is being followed by a giant carnivore, sniffing the scented footsteps._

_ The small genius skunk lays a trail of a substance used in those animal brains to generate sleep._

_ The giant carnivore sleeps. After the many descendents of the small genius skunk have sprayed each other into permanent glandular arousal as father, mother, kitten, and in heat, they have learned to cooperate. The giant carnivores, drooling, attracted by the delightful arousals, find that half the trees in forest are sprayed to smell like their own giant carnivore females in heat. They spend their energies and have no descendents. The skunks are safe, multiply and evolve._

_ Overpopulating, the skunks must develop social warfare to a fine art and become their own predators. They play dominance submission games, and build civilizations, traveling the same paths of political gigantism, passing through motie cycles, and developing technology from war machines. But every war is biological and non-violent, and the only overt machines are wagons pulled by tamed lions and great tame birds._

_ The transmission of smells is the transmission of organic molecules. RNA and plasmid, self-replicating DNA are organic molecules, and in suitably nourishing environments such as brain cells of a sniffer, they can generate moods and trigger instincts. Our exploring navy finds a new inhabited planet._

_ We have found a civilized planet with no signs of destructive wars, no layers of radioactive ruins. Peaceniks! Pacifists!_

_ At last we have found a cooperative well-organized civilization, a submissive orderly population without any threat of violence!_

_ On the advice of delighted ethnologists we land without obvious weapons or threat, take no hostages, study their languages and conform to their customs._

_ One of their customs is the standard costume, including a white filter worn tightly over the nose like a surgeon operating. Our human ambassadors wear these also, for fear of being thought immodest in exposing the nose._

_ Our ambassadors are ignored at first, and then, when they have learned the language, they are approached by a representative of the king, who demands that he be sent the human of greatest command, power and authority among the humans._

_ The ambassadors choose the one among them who was a strategist and gave advice that was accepted by the Terran Empire strategic computer. He presents himself alone at the palace of the king, and wonders at the great place of political power in a non-violent community, while he is led into the royal presence._

_ The alien king, descendent of a long line of conquerors by power of scent, has, after much thought, decided to accept Earthmen as an equal race._

_ He has decided to challenge their king to a friendly duel._

_ Explaining that he has been impressed by Earth ship technology, the king ostentatiously and slowly takes off his white nose-filter mask, lays it aside and inhales deeply, taking a breath over each of the ambassador's shoulders in a gesture which resembles a French ceremonial kiss._

_ The human representative, startled by his gesture, but trying to follow strange standards of politeness, slowly removes his own nose-filter, and inhales on either side of the alien aristocrat's neck. The alien aristocrat steps back, sampling the human scents he has inhaled. Most of them are merely the scents of clothing and plastic, but there are the smells of oxidized foods, and a few proteins which seem too large to be food, possibly hormones of emotion or instinct, some in tiny peptide traces, perhaps left over from suppressed cries of childhood._

_ The king smiles and releases a barrage of duplicated hormones and peptides. The Earthman inhales a stink of familiar scents which smell like his own armpit after a week without showering._

_ He is overwhelmed by nausea, then by a barrage of conflicting emotions. Slowly he slips to his knees, feeling that he is in the presence of someone terrifying, huge, fatherly, motherly, deadly, reassuring, and stunningly attractive. A hand tries to lift him to his feet and a voice murmurs apologies in tones that send chills of delight through his body. He clasps the legs that stand before him and refuses to be raised, weeping with delight._

_ "I'm sorry. You people must be pacifists. Please stand up," says the incredibly attractive voice, in worried tones._

_ The hand pulls at his shoulder and the Earthman looks up, weeping tears of gratitude and wonder for such undeserved kindness._

_ "I'm sorry," says the godlike figure. "I didn't know you were unarmed."_

__

As always, the characters of Tenchi Muyo! were created by Masaki Kajashima, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. The attached story, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2005 by Jeffery L. Harris. Said story came entirely from my imagination, and is not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L Harris  
Subject: "The Harem Saga Sequel - The Pranquay"


	4. EPISODE 3  Z

_I have this feeling that my luck is none too good  
This sword here at my side don't act the way it should  
Keeps calling me its master, but I feel like its slave  
Hauling me faster and faster to an early, early grave  
And it howls, it howls like hell_

_I'm told it's my duty to fight against the law  
That wizardry's my trade and I was born to wade through gore  
I just want to be a lover, not a red-eyed screaming ghoul  
I wish it'd picked another to be its killing tool_

_Black blade! Black blade!  
Forged a billion years ago  
Black blade! Black blade!  
Killing so its power can grow_

_There's death from the beginning to the end of time  
And I'm the cosmic champion and I hold a mystic sign  
And the whole world's dying and the burdens mine  
And the black sword keeps on killing 'til the end of time_

_Black blade! Black blade!  
Bringing chaos to the world we know  
Black blade! Black blade!  
And its using me to kill my friends  
Black blade! Black blade!  
Getting stronger so the world will end  
Black blade! Black blade!  
Forcing my mind to bend and bend_

_The black blade  
Forged a million billion years ago  
My cosmic sword goes on for eternity  
Carving out destiny  
Bringing in the lords of chaos  
Bringing up the beasts of Hades  
Sucking out the souls of heroes  
Laying waste to knights and ladies  
My master is my slave_  
_Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!_

Artist: Blue Oyster Cult  
Title: "Black Blade"

Music & Lyrics: E. Bloom - M. Moorcock - J. Trivers

Tenchi sat on his haunches in the center of a field of fine-grained sand (actually the floor of a large bowl-shaped structure), which was littered about with stone-like blocks. On either side of him lay a four-foot staff of dark-grained wood. His eyes were closed in meditation, ignoring the whisper of the wind and the oppressive silence. Before long a blue-white sphere of energy appeared between the clouds, plummeting quickly until it touched the sandy floor several meters in front of him. The sphere vanished, leaving behind a man-shaped figure.

The figure stood with legs spread apart and arms crossed, head canted to the side ever so slightly. His emerald-tinted locks stood off his scalp like so many frozen flames, and his pointed ears merely blended into the overall static eruption. His right eye was green and ophidian, the other was a violet-colored simulacrum. Two violet-colored horns projected from his left temple, and three wart-like proto-horns poked through the skin above his right temple like so many fingertips. His bronze-colored skin was mostly buried beneath a forest green jumpsuit. He stood silently for a while, observing Tenchi, waiting for a response.

Tenchi ignored him, eyes still closed in meditation.

His patience finally exhausted, the figure spoke. "Are you praying to your gods, making your peace before I kill you?"

Tenchi finally opened his eyes and studied the menacing intruder. "Welcome, Z0001332536893."

"Call me 'Z'."

Tenchi nodded in compliance. "No, Z, I was not praying; I was just waiting for you to make your grand entrance."

"The wait is over. Now get up — I'm going to enjoy incinerating you."

"Why don't we chat a bit, before our final confrontation?" Tenchi asked, gesturing for the intruder to take a seat.

"You can't be serious."

"But I am serious."

"Why should we do that?"

"I wouldn't mind getting a few answers before I go."

"I do not have time for such foolishness."

"You don't have time?" Tenchi asked sarcastically. "For someone who is supposed to be thousands of years old — "

" — _Tens_ of thousands," Z corrected him.

" — You can't even spare a few extra minutes?"

"No."

"Not even out of professional courtesy?"

"No."

Tenchi shook his head sadly. "Tsunami told me you'd be like this."

"Tsunami? You have spoken with Tsunami? Where is she — tell me now, and quickly!" Z demanded.

"Or else what? You'll kill me? You plan to do that anyway. You'll kill me _slowly_? You don't even have time for a conversation, let alone time for torture." Z's eyes narrowed, and Tenchi could almost hear his adversary's teeth grinding. He swallowed the grin that tried to sprout across his lips.

"Very well, I will converse with you." Z pointedly examined the structure they occupied. "This looks like a stadium, or an amphitheater. Did you expect an audience to watch you die?"

Tenchi ignored the insulting tone. "No. I just wanted a place where I could see the sky, without any innocent bystanders."

"No observers? How disappointing." Z swaggered a bit, casually pacing a wide circle around Tenchi. "What is this place, if not a stage?"

"Washu once mounted a telescope here. A big one, as I recall."

"Ah, yes, Washu. So, she dallies with puny mortals now?"

"You might say that," Tenchi smiled. "She's my wife. One of my wives, actually."

"Your wife?" Z asked incredulously.

"Yes. Is the concept foreign to you? I can explain, if you wish — "

"I understand your mating rituals. It is just...inconceivable...that a goddess should stoop so low."

"Well, there's no accounting for taste."

"No witnesses...and no allies, either. Your fate is sealed: this time the woman Ryoko is not here to save you."

Tenchi rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully. "Yeah, she sure was a handful for you, wasn't she? Those ten Lighthawk Wings of hers must have been a pretty big surprise..."

"Bah! She lacks experience — I would have beaten her eventually."

"Yeah, maybe you would have. Of course, you didn't seem to be having much luck controlling her wings, though, did you?"

"That's because my energies and focus were upon you!"

"Ah, that must be it." Tenchi's tone was calculated to irritate, and it had the desired effect.

"Do not mock me. I will kill her as easily as I will kill you."

"So sure of victory, are you?"

"Yes. My victories are too numerous to count."

"Are you talking about duels with other Power adepts, or simply massacring helpless mundanes in Navy ships?"

"Both," Z replied, and then smiled wickedly. "Each variety offers it own pleasures."

"I see. Then you're just a hired assassin for Lady Tokimi?"

"You will not speak of Lady Tokimi," Z growled.

"Well, since you intend to kill me anyway, I'll speak of whomever and whatever I want," Tenchi replied, dismissing the threat with a wave of his hand. "The way I see it, you're either a spy, a scout, or an assassin. Not much honor in any of those roles, is there?"

Z must have realized he was being baited, because the thundercloud on his brow faded, and he smiled once more.

"You know, wiping out those fleets was impressive. I didn't know Lighthawk Wings could do things like that."

"There are many things that they can do...sadly, though, you'll never live long enough to discover those secrets."

Tenchi shrugged. "Well, all that death and destruction did serve a useful purpose."

"Oh?"

"Those weren't all Juraian vessels. We were in the middle of war games with three of our neighbors when you, eh, 'interrupted' the maneuvers. The survivors recorded everything and took the knowledge home."

"It will do them little good."

"Perhaps..."

"Ah, I see — you expect alliances to come out of that event, don't you? Defense against a common enemy."

"Yes."

"Even if you united the whole galaxy together under one banner, it will not stop Lady Tokimi. And I will be there to carve my share of the slaughter."

"So, you are really nothing more than a bloodhound for a land-grabbing despot. I expected something more original."

"Lady Tokimi's purposes are her own, fool, and I am her most trusted servant."

"Like I said, a dog on a leash."

Unnerved by Tenchi's seeming indifference, Z posed a question of his own. "Why did you bring those sticks with you?"

"These?" Tenchi asked, looking briefly at the objects in the sand. "These are jo staffs."

"Of what possible value is a 'jo staff'?"

"My grandfather uses them as teaching aides," Tenchi replied. "Why do you wear a jewel in one eye? Surely you could have had that eye regrown."

"It is a cybernetic implant," Z replied. "It has many sensors built into it, and is far more versatile than the original organ."

"So...why not have both eyes replaced?"

"An unnecessary procedure. The one is more than sufficient."

"Or is it, perhaps, a touch of vanity? Maybe even sentimentality?"

"Nonsense." Z studied Tenchi for a moment, head cocked to the side. "This is a trap of some sort, isn't it? And you are stalling for time."

Tenchi sighed as dramatically as Z postured. "Your senses are every bit as enhanced as mine — more so, with that jewel. Scan the area if you like...I'll wait."

Z did so, suspiciously. Finally: "We are alone."

"Yes, we are, though I should point out the cameras along the rim up there."

"Cameras? To what purpose? Who will appreciate watching your death?"

"My family, perhaps. Have you no family?"

"No," Z snorted contemptuously. "You have chosen a bad location, Emperor of Jurai — our combat will vaporize this whole hemisphere."

"You never know, Agent of Tokimi — life is full of surprises."

"Indeed: I have been living among you Juraians for many years, studying your ways. As a Super Class Power adept, I should have been able to overwhelm every adept for kilometers around. You should be cowering in terror this very minute, and your wives should be crawling at my feet, begging for attention. Since I am more powerful than you, I do not understand this failure."

"Well, it's because you're not human."

Z stared at him, motionless.

"You can drop the disguise, Z0001332536893. Washu saw the same discrepancy during the first battle, and figured it out. Since you aren't human, those mating protocols are irrelevant."

Z drew slowly to his full height. He touched a stud on his belt and his facade _shimmered_ and vanished. Z's alien nature was now fully revealed: Though still bipedal, his ancestors had been avians who had traded wings for hands — each of which was composed of three fingers and an opposable thumb. The visible portion of his body was covered with a very fine down, of a green so dark as to be nearly black. A band of white feathers formed a ring around his neck, and a vestigial plumage crowned his head and his tail. His bare legs and webbed feet were tinted a dark shade of tangerine, as was his bill. And though the latter was flat and plate-shaped, it was soft and supple enough to form a variety of sounds. "Not very clever, human — it took a goddess to see through my disguise."

"She did more than that, alien — your ability to dissipate my Lighthawk Wings roused her curiosity to a fever pitch. It didn't take her long to figure out an artificial way to duplicate the process."

"What are you saying?" Z asked, his voice suddenly cold with caution.

Tenchi opened his hands to reveal a small black box with a single button on it, which he promptly pressed.

"What was that, a distress call?"

"Actually, I just turned on a generator buried beneath this structure. It projects a global energy field around us...an energy field that completely suppresses all Power attributes!"

"You're bluffing — or deluded."

"Go ahead and try," Tenchi said, grinning like a wolf.

Z closed his eyes, face screwed into a mask of concentration. The effort ended with a frustrated snort. "I will still kill you, human, and take that control from your twisted corpse."

"No need to wait that long," Tenchi replied. He tossed the palm-sized remote to the alien — who caught it clumsily. "That's a one-way switch. The generator can only be turned off from outside this enclosure. Neither of us can teleport ourselves out, nor teleport an object in here. And you'll notice that the walls are too high to jump over, and there's nothing here to make a rope out of. Whoever wins our little contest will have to be rescued...assuming he's found by someone friendly."

Z gave the box a cursory glance before tossing it to the ground. With one fluid movement he raised his right arm and pointed his fist at Tenchi, while his left hand slapped a set of buttons on his belt.

Nothing happened.

"Did I forget to mention that the field also neutralizes energy constructs above a certain threshold?" Tenchi asked. "All of your weapons and other gizmos are now just so much junk."

"Your human vanity never ceases to amaze me."

"And your alien arrogance never ceases to amaze me." Tenchi slowly rose to his feet, a jo staff gripped in each hand. He casually tossed one to the alien, who stepped back and let it land in the sand with a soft _thump_.

"So, this is a trap."

"Yes, it is. One designed to level the playing field."

"Level the playing field...?"

"Ah, my apologies for the unfamiliar analogy. The phrase means that all participants are at parity. And the only guaranteed way to ensure equal Power attributes between us is to _remove_ them all. And, since there was a valid concern about hi-tech surprises," Tenchi indicated Z's belt, "we both had to be reduced to absolute basics. So: welcome to the Stone Age!"

Z slowly picked-up the jo staff.

"I see a certain hesitation in your actions," Tenchi mused, "which fuels a suspicion."

"What suspicion is that?"

"That over the course of thousands of years — "

" — Tens of thousands..."

" — You have come to rely upon your Lighthawk Wings to the exclusion of everything else. While you have undoubtedly mastered them in ways I can't even imagine, they have also mastered you. That's a lesson well worth learning." Tenchi raised his staff to an _en-guard_ posture.

Z made no reply, settling into his own defensive stance.

"Let's test my theory." And with that, Tenchi began stalking his opponent.

############ AUTHOR'S NOTES ############

For those who don't recognize the references, the topic of the prelude/prologue tune is the magic sword _Stormbringer_, popularized in the novels by Michael Moorcock, about the brooding albino anti-hero Elric of Melniboné.

As mentioned elsewhere, the characters of Tenchi Muyo! were created by Masaki Kajashima, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. The attached story, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2005 by Jeffery L. Harris. Said story came entirely from my imagination, and is not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L Harris  
Subject: "The Harem Saga Sequel - Z"


	5. EPISODE 4  Breakaway

_Grew up in a small town  
And when the rain would fall down  
I just stared out my window  
Dreaming of a could-be  
And if I'd end up happy  
I would pray (I would pray)_

_Trying not to reach out  
But when I'd try to speak out  
Felt like no one could hear me  
Wanted to belong here  
But something felt so wrong here  
So I'd pray (I would pray)  
I could breakaway_

_[Chorus:]  
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly  
I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky  
I'll make a wish  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun  
But I won't forget all the ones that I love  
I'll take a risk  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway_

_Wanna feel the warm breeze  
Sleep under a palm tree  
Feel the rush of the ocean  
Get onboard a fast train  
Travel on a jet plane, far away (I will)  
And breakaway_

_[Chorus:]  
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly  
I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky  
I'll make a wish  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun  
But I won't forget all the ones that I love  
I'll take a risk  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway_

_Buildings with a hundred floors  
swinging 'round revolving doors.  
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me, but  
Gotta keep moving on, moving on  
Fly away, breakaway_

_[Chorus:]  
I'll spread my wings  
And I'll learn how to fly  
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye  
I gotta take a risk  
Take chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun  
But I won't forget the place I come from  
I gotta take a risk  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway_

Artist: Kelly Clarkson  
Title: "Breakaway"  
From the Walt Disney Pictures film Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement (2004)  
From the album "Breakaway" (2004)

It was a curious group that began to gather in the Masaki Family common room. The room itself was full of comfortable chairs and sofas, tables and lamps, bookcases and viewscreens. The group itself was composed of family members, immediate and extended, of all ages. The children were escorted into the dining room and given tasty distractions, while the adults slowly settled into cozy chairs and spots on the floor. The room buzzed with idle chatter.

Tenchi was sitting beside Washu, and admitted, _sotto voce_, "I'm still a little confused."

"About what?" she replied in kind.

"About how that energy-suppression generator works. Didn't Kagato try that aboard the Souja?"

"Well, sort of. Not to belabor the point, but a Power adept draws upon environmental sources for energy, and then converts it to usable structures. In most cases, those energy sources can be blocked by a shield; however, since you draw your Power directly from the fabric of space-time, that's impossible to prevent. Kagato couldn't cut you off from your source."

"But..."

"What Z did (which frankly surprised the hell out of me), was to take a different tack. Rather than cutting you off from your source, he dissipated your Lighthawk Wings as they formed. It's as if you were trying to build a sand castle, and he washed it away each time you raised it. He didn't isolate you from the sand — you could build as many structures as you wanted — he'd just keep sending more tidal waves to scatter what you built. That's pretty impressive, especially when you realize he was doing it several hundred times a second."

"And you were able to duplicate that feat."

"Yep. And I expanded the concept to include _any_ energy structure above a certain level."

"Oh."

"You don't seem real happy. Sorry you killed him?"

"No, because he would have killed me without a second's hesitation."

"Good thing that scrawny bird neck of his was fragile."

"Yeah."

"So, why the long face?"

"I was just thinking about what would happen if one of Jurai's enemies got their hands on that generator and used it against us. It would render every weapon we have — including the Royal Trees — utterly useless."

"Well, I have it stashed away under lock-and-key, and no one but the family knows it even exists. And I intend to give some thought to building a counter for it. But I have another scary thought for you."

"Great. What might that be?"

"Whatever Z could do, Tokimi will be able to do, too."

"Thanks for the encouragement."

Washu grinned at him, and realized that the room had gone silent, and all eyes were turned upon them. She studied the faces of those in attendance. Her sister/wives Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Ryoko, her future sister/wives Noike and Sasami, and her in-laws Funaho, Misaki, and Seto. And at her side sat Tenchi, the center of her life, her emotional and mental anchor. "I suppose you're all wondering why I called you here (I just _love_ saying that!). I have several things to say, and all of you need to hear them. Some of this will be old news to a few of you, so please bear with me."

She paused, composing her thoughts.

"No use beating around the bush: let me state for the record that I am not fully human, nor ever was." She looked pointedly at Ryoko, waiting for the usual snide comment. When none was forthcoming, she nodded once at her daughter in thanks. "Though I was found as an infant, and raised in an orphanage, my heritage was always somewhat...suspect."

There was a shimmering in the air, and Tsunami's projection appeared behind Sasami. The resemblance between them was uncanny, and each echoed the other's gestures and facial expressions. "Are you sure you should be revealing this?" Tsunami and Sasami asked in unison.

"I must."

"Why?"

"Because my instruments have finally detected Tokimi. She's on her way here."

Tsunami and Sasami, Seto, Funaho, and Tenchi all reacted visibly; the others just watched with baffled expressions.

Ryoko noticed the discrepancy. "You guys knew all about this, didn't you?" No one answered her. "Tenchi?"

"Yes, I have heard some of this before."

"And you didn't share this with the rest of us?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I keep _all_ of the secrets given to me in confidence."

"Oh. Well...I appreciate the fact that you don't kiss and tell."

"We all do," Ayeka added.

"But, who is this Tokimi? And why do we care?"

"Please, let me finish my tale," Washu said. She again waited for silence before continuing. "I've been told that I was found as a newborn, although at the time I was hovering a meter off the ground. And with me were three gems. Gems of such a foreign substance that they could not be identified. Gems that radiated power that could not be harnessed by mechanical or psychic means. Those three gems," she pointed at Ryoko, at the jewels that occupied the inside of each wrist and the base of her throat.

Ryoko touched the upper jewel reflexively.

"I have always had a certain awareness of them, a 'sympathetic synchronization', if you will. We...communicate."

"These gems talk to you?" Ryoko asked.

"No, not talking. It's difficult to describe."

"Like being bonded to a Royal Tree?" Ayeka asked.

"A link, between hearts rather than minds. A shared awareness," Tsunami and Sasami said.

Washu nodded.

"So, what's that got to do with us?" Ryoko asked.

"Because ever since I detected Tokimi, those gems have been calling to me. I believe the nature of our communion is about to change...and I cannot predict what will happen."

"So, who is Tokimi?" Noike asked. "Obviously someone significant, to trigger this action."

"She is a creature like myself," Tsunami and Sasami replied, "and Washu."

All eyes turned upon Washu, who was staring at her hands.

"Could you explain that in simpler terms?" Mihoshi asked. "I'm getting lost, as usual."

"Washu and I are advanced life-forms."

"In what way?"

"We are aware of all dimensions of space and time simultaneously, not just the four you humans are limited to. And we are very, very old."

"How old are you?" Ayeka asked.

"We were among the first living creatures in the universe. We have been watching the cosmos expand, and the galaxies spin away from one another, for billions of years."

"_Billions_ of years?" Ryoko asked.

"Yes. We are ancient beyond anything you can imagine."

"Well, at least I _think_ we are," Washu whispered.

"You aren't certain?" Noike asked.

"No, because I don't remember much. Just fragments of memories that predate my childhood. Almost like past-life regression..."

"She cannot remember because her memories were placed in those gems," Tsunami and Sasami said.

"I've been carrying your _memories_ around all these years? E-w-w-w-w-w!" Ryoko cringed.

"You still haven't answered my question," Noike said. "Who or what is Tokimi?"

"She has been searching for us for hundreds of millions of years," Tsunami and Sasami said. "We have been avoiding her, looking for allies strong enough to aid us."

"Are we the allies you sought?" Ayeka asked.

"Yes. When we entered this galaxy, we had been searching for many eons for anyone powerful enough to help us. Up to that point, we had been unsuccessful. But in our travels we had come across several species who contained powerful potentials, and of those we surveyed in this galaxy, humanity carried the greatest potentials. We decided to change our strategy, to remain here and nurture our allies, rather than pinning our hopes on finding a species that was already sufficiently evolved. To that end, we devised our roles: I would remain in our native form and protect the species from galactic threats, while Washu would assume human form and stimulate the widest possible genetic variation."

"Celestial shepherds, from within and without," Ayeka whispered.

"Did your plan work?" Ryoko asked.

"Yes, it did," Tsunami and Sasami smiled, nodding at Tenchi. "Beyond our wildest hopes."

"There was a price, though, wasn't there?" Noike asked.

"Yes," Washu replied. "The more we touched humanity, the more humanity touched us."

"And Tokimi?"

"She has not been idle," Tsunami and Sasami said. "She calculated our efforts, and devised a counter."

"That would be Z," Seto said.

"Yes."

"She was also breeding power adepts, and he was one of their super class."

"Yes."

"He and his peers would be sent out to range the universe, looking for potential species, on the assumption that you might be nearby."

"Yes."

"And destroy them, as a precautionary measure."

"Yes."

"His silence has alerted Tokimi, and she is coming to investigate."

"Yes."

"Are you saying that she may arrive with _more_ servants like Z?" Ayeka asked.

"Yes."

"We're the ones who are going to need allies," Ryoko concluded.

"Precisely," Funaho said, and all eyes turned to her. "Seto and I figured that out months ago, and we have been actively recruiting from among our neighbors. Weren't you even the least bit curious by the sudden appearance of alien dignitaries at your doorstep?"

"No," Ayeka admitted. "I just assumed that word had been leaking out about the Masaki drive."

"_We_ leaked it, my dear. We have been offering them a carrot, and many are now taking an active interest."

"If that's the carrot, what is the stick?" Tenchi asked.

"Z's appearance and actions," Seto replied. "He never should have left any witnesses."

"I suspect, though, that you were conveniently watching from subspace while he destroyed the whole task force," Noike said, giving her adopted mother a very appraising look.

"Yes, I was, and it took it every ounce of discipline I had to stay there and record the destruction."

"Damn, you're tough," Ryoko marveled. "I couldn't have sat still while Juraian sailors were being killed by the thousands."

"I agree," Seto replied, her voice colder than interstellar space.

"So, what happens now?" Tenchi asked quietly.

"I answer the gems' call," Washu said. "Ryoko, would you come over here please?"

Ryoko hesitated and then floated away from her seat beside Ayeka, drifting slowly over to a point in front of Washu, before settling on the floor in a kneeling position. They studied one another at eye level.

Washu leaned forward and placed her hands upon the crystals embedded in Ryoko's wrists. Nothing happened for a moment, other than Washu's look of profound concentration, and Ryoko's sudden vacuous expression.

Then Ryoko's back arched and she screamed, toppling backward onto the floor. And Washu's frame-shuddering gasp that caused her to collapse into her chair.

Chaos erupted: Ayeka lunged for Ryoko, catching her before her head hit the floor. Noike was right beside Ayeka, checking Ryoko's vital signs, joined quickly by Funaho. Mihoshi vaulted for the dining room door, quelling the sudden alarm from the youngsters within. Seto and Misaki entered the dining room as well, their presence helping to calm the frightened children. Only Tenchi and Tsunami/Sasami remained motionless.

It wasn't long before Ayeka noticed the apparent unconcern of her husband and sister — and realized that their eyes were closed and their focus elsewhere. She nudged Noike, pointing this out.

Tenchi's enhanced perceptions had shifted into the quantum realm, where the objects of space-time were represented by their corresponding quantum patterns. Chairs and tables and walls all had shadows in the void, and so, too, the humans had their quantum facsimiles: layered over the top of each virtual manikin was the _mind_ of each sentient, which appeared to Tenchi as a borderless cloud of luminescent fog, lit internally by chains of lightning. And each individual mind had a distinctive pattern, which was easily identifiable. He quickly scanned Ryoko, who seemed to be stunned but not injured. Washu, however, was noticeably sluggish, her internal kaleidoscope erratic and subdued.

Beyond the humans, Tenchi could discern the alien presence of Tsunami. The humans were mere lanterns shining against the colossal cloud of sentience. The internal lights within this quantum structure flickered and pulsed in incredibly complicated arrays, as the alien mind addressed issues on many levels of reality. Most noticeable, however, was the psuedopod-like extension that engulfed the mind of Sasami, and the way that Sasami's sentience was echoed in fractal patterns well into the cloud. That merger of human and alien was almost complete, and in a matter of months the human and alien would have total access to each other's mind and thoughts.

And a new phenomenon was apparent: billows of quantum mist were expanding outwards from Ryoko's gems, coalescing into a growing nebula whose internal constellations flickered and flashed in chaotic abandon. The cloud was centered on the wraith-like mind of Washu, but as Tenchi watched that focus shifted, leaving the diaphanous mass that was Washu to fend for itself — and it was visibly failing. Now alarmed, Tenchi poured Power down the mindlink to his wife, expanding it in ever-larger volumes. He felt her feeble reply, encouraged that her consciousness was still strong enough to respond. For her part, Washu continued to send waves of signals into the heart of the alien cloud.

Across the room Sasami remained frozen, eyes closed and body rigid; behind her, the holographic figure of Tsunami remained equally statuesque and lifeless. Tsunami watched helplessly as her sister struggled, knowing that she could do nothing to ease the recovery process. 20,000 years in confinement had been a tremendous strain, even for such an advanced intellect. Add to that the sudden presence of the human kernel, and the tumult was inevitable. The Sasami half of the gestalt watched in horror, because she was only too aware of the price of integration with a human mind — and consequences of separation.

To everyone else, it was apparent that something was going on at a level beyond their awareness. Tenchi had risen to stand behind Washu, his hands cradling her temple. Both of their eyes were closed, and both were breathing intermittently. Tenchi's Emblem of Power had flared into blue-white brilliance, and so great was the energy being harnessed that the air around them began to churn and boil.

The last wisps of quantum cloud had almost departed from Washu's mind when it slowed, and finally stopped. Heartened, Tenchi increased the energy further, taxing his resources to the limit. Washu's mind was blindingly incandescent, emitting a laser-like beam that penetrated to the core of the cloud, forcing pattern after pattern into the massive structure. Reluctantly, the patterns began to replicate outward, and the empyreal sentience began to rejoin its mortal anchor.

On the floor, Ryoko stirred and groaned. Her eyes fluttered open, and she rubbed the back of her neck. She wondered out loud what truck had hit her, but got no answer. Looking around, she realizing that everyone else in the room — including the children — were watching Tenchi and Washu. At that point her own heightened senses kicked-in, and danger signals came crashing into her consciousness. "What the hell is going on?"

"Whatever was in those gems is loose, apparently," Ayeka whispered. "I would guess that Washu and Tenchi are struggling with it."

"If anything happens to my mother..." Ryoko growled.

After what seemed like hours, the cloud returned to its anchorage around Washu, now fully synchronized with the human animus. For her part, Washu kept escalating the complexity of the patterns, which then echoed out from the core like so many waves, and in turn the cloud was sending her patterns which she absorbed. An extremely intricate dance of thought and sensation so rapid that it quickly outdistanced Tenchi. With a nearly-audible sigh of relief, he ceased the Power transfer, allowing the mindlink to return to its normal properties.

The family watched as the Emblem of Power faded from Tenchi's brow, and the air in the room rapidly stilled. Across the room Tsunami and Sasami stirred, opening their eyes and blinking back tears. Washu finally opened her eyes, gazing into the upside-down face of her husband, before raising her head.

"The danger is past," Tsunami and Sasami announced.

"Thank the gods," Ryoko whispered.

"What was that you just said?" Ayeka teased. The latter blushed and looked away.

Washu slowly rose from her chair, examining herself in minute detail. She seemed at once surprised and reassured by the simple interplay of muscle-against-muscle, the weight of gravity, and the sensations she perceived. "How marvelous," she said, and then touched her lips. "So this is life among the lower orders...it's neither crude, dark, nor restricted. If anything it's... amazing."

Her family simply stared in silence.

Washu stopped her introspection, and gazed upon the faces around her. "I know you, each of you." She searched her memories, obviously sorting them. "Ryoko, my...daughter. Ayeka. Noike. Mihoshi...a descendent? Seto. Misaki. Funaho. And these are my children...Achika...and...Jinsei. And Sasami...my sister's host." Washu studied both Sasami and Tsunami, and a wide grin blossomed across her face. Tsunami and Sasami nodded, returning the grin.

Then Washu turned about, looking squarely at Tenchi, and slowly approached him. "My beloved husband...I would know you anywhere, across all time and space." And her face turned radiant as she slid into his arms. The kiss was long and passionate.

"That's so romantic!" Mihoshi sniffled.

"Truly splendid," Ayeka sighed.

"Ok, ok, that's enough," Ryoko grumbled, casually wiping an eye. "Washu, how much do you remember?"

From where she rested her head on Tenchi's shoulder, Washu replied, "I remember everything, Little Ryoko. I was just...overwhelmed...by the volume. I'll be alright in a little while, after I've had a chance to fully assimilate."

"That's good to hear," Tenchi said.

"Thank you, my love," Washu whispered. "I couldn't have made it without you."

"Glad I could help."

Washu slowly extricated herself and turned back towards Tsunami and Sasami. "Now it's your turn, sister."

"No," Tsunami and Sasami said, "it is not yet time."

"We have no more time. Tokimi is almost upon us."

Tsunami and Sasami looked down, hesitating, and then nodded. "Very well."

"Come," Washu said, taking Sasami's hand, and Tsunami's projection vanished. They took two paces, paused, and looked at Tenchi. "We are going to need your help."

Tenchi nodded, felt his hands clasped as he stepped between them, and escorted them through the dining room and out onto the veranda. The remainder of the family exchanged quizzical looks, and hurried after them.

They walked together across the lawn until they were well clear of the building. Then they stopped, the women turning to face each other. The only sounds around them were the wind in the trees and rustling of the grass. The sky above was a deep azure, marked by a few clouds and the pale crescent of Jurai's smallest moon.

Washu smiled, eyes closed and chin high, savoring the sun on her face and the wind in her hair. Sasami's face was expressionless, but the muscles knotted and tensed in time with internal priorities. Tenchi held back at arm's length, observing them both (and he was vaguely aware of the crowd standing at a respectful distance). In due course, both women opened their eyes, and calmly surveyed one another.

"Are you ready?" Washu asked Sasami.

"Yes," Sasami replied.

They both turned towards Tenchi. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Do for us what you did for Ryoko," Washu said.

"Uh, don't you already know how?"

"Yes, but we want your guidance. The human element in each of us feels safe and secure with you."

"We love you, Tenchi," Sasami added.

Tenchi suddenly realized the enormity of what he was about to do. He returned to his enhanced sensory mode, aware of the multiply layered minds that surrounded him, of the mindlinks he maintained with his wife and fiancée. He hesitated...Washu could still be unstable from her metamorphosis, and Sasami might not be physically mature enough yet.

"Go ahead, Tenchi," Washu urged softly.

"We trust you, Tenchi," Sasami added.

With that last assurance still ringing in his ears, Tenchi put Power into both mindlinks, probing down simultaneously until he found what he was looking for: the trigger mechanisms. Each was surrounded by a psychic block, which he shattered with a deft touch. Each woman touched the exposed quantum pattern, and instantly the trigger responded. Their human nervous systems lit-up like neon moiré patterns, as heretofore-dormant facilities suddenly received their first taste of Power. Cautiously at first, and then with growing confidence, each woman's mind grasped their newly awakened potentials and sampled them.

Tenchi retreated quietly, knowing what was coming. His senses dropped back into 'normal' mode, and he watched his wife and fiancée; the interplay of emotions crisscrossing their faces were not much different than Ryoko's had been, not all that many months ago. He sighed resignedly; the chaotic lifestyle in the Masaki Family was about to rise yet another notch...

It began subtly, a stirring high in the air like an inhalation. Clusters of tiny blue-white lights appeared above and behind Washu and Sasami, twinkling and dancing in Lilliputian cyclones. Their numbers multiplied rapidly, the swarms of sparks becoming so dense as to congeal into clumps and strands. But only for a moment: in twin pulses, the clouds of fireflies merged into resplendence teardrops, their actinic rays casting harsh shadows on the grass despite the mid-day sun. And in the span of a single heartbeat, each scintillating globule was split by nine vertical cracks. The resulting blades fanned outwards around the center pivot, and two ten-pointed stars faced one another across a gap measured in meters.

Washu and Sasami were ecstatic, hopping in place and laughing so hard that tears streamed down their faces. Tenchi attempted to step away, but both women tightened their grip and refused to let him leave.

"Stay with us!" Sasami pleaded.

"Join us!" Washu added. She turned back to the waiting family, who were all staring in disbelief. "Ryoko! Come and share this with us!"

"Yes! Come on, Ryoko!" Sasami cried.

Ryoko hesitated for a moment, looking up at the new Lighthawk Wings blazing in the sky, and then down at her daughter (who was clutching her Mommy's hand). Ayeka resolved the issue: she scooped the toddler into her arms and gave Ryoko a firm push. A glance backward of silent thanks, and Ryoko teleported over to where the trio was standing. Her hands were immediately grabbed by the ebullient Washu and Sasami. Caught up in the excitement, Ryoko threw back her head and howled — and another ten-pointed star blossomed into existence.

Ryoko's crooning was joined by Washu and Sasami, adding their voices to the spontaneous song. For Song it was, on a primordial level so deep that its existence had long since been forgotten. A song of joy, of love, of hope — and of defiance. Out in space, resting quietly in her solitary orbit, the great Juraian Treeship Tsunami felt the surge of Power which carried the song, and replied in kind: ten shimmering Lighthawk Wings unfurled, adding their Power to the chorus. Nearby, other Treeships of the home fleet raised their Wings in homage, each starflower adding weight to the rising tide.

Many things flashed through Tenchi's mind at that point:

* Standing beside him were _two_ alien minds who were now fully-anchored and fully-integrated with a human female: Washu was recovering all of her lost knowledge, memories and experiences — with her human psyche in full control; Sasami was absorbing the intact memories and experiences of a mind many orders of magnitude larger and older than own — without losing one shred of her own human identity.

* The human element of each of these gestalt entities was simultaneously experiencing their first full manifestation as a Super Class Power Adept — which unleashed its own tide of biochemical and psychological responses. Tenchi had serious concerns about the mental state of his ladies.

* Each _goddess_ (what else could you call these women?) not only possessed a human incarnation, but also maintained exceptionally close rapport with an avatar: Washu had Ryoko; Tsunami had the Treeship of the same name. These latter creatures were incredibly powerful, independent sentients in their own right...as was presently being demonstrated.

* Tenchi himself had resisted accepting the sheer scale of his gifts. He had been reluctant to admit that, since the universe was a big place, the basic building blocks were also going to be big (and a matching mindset was required). He was unashamedly intimidated by playing in the big leagues.

* But that attitude must stop. Two of the sentients he loved the most had been fleeing across a time and space so vast that he couldn't even comprehend it — and they had taken the courage to make a stand here, placing their faith and trust in _him_. He could do no less than to fully embrace the gifts given to him, and try to live up to theirs.

* His confrontations with Z had shown him that he had barely scratched the surface when it came to using his Lighthawk Wings. He could — and would! — spend a lifetime exploring their depths. But for now, he had only his instincts to rely upon, and they showed him how the Song was discordant and inharmonious.

* But, as he shed his reluctance, his instincts came surging to the fore — and they suggested a course of action.

Three more Lighthawk Wings unfolded in the azure sky. Using the Power at his command, Tenchi reached out and took control of the blue-white bouquet blazing in and around Juraian space. He imposed **order** upon the chaos. The sentients generating the starflowers instantly recognized his intent, and threw themselves behind the effort, following the guidance of the Grand Conductor. The result was a pleasing harmony and synchrony.

There were other pragmatic, less esthetic, consequences:

* Between the Royal Family on Jurai, and the Treeships in the Corral, there were over fifty Lighthawk Wings being manifested. Each Wing averaged 30 meters in length, up to five meters in breadth, and several centimeters thick along its spine. Bearing in mind that the average 8-ounce coffee cup contains enough Zero Point Energy to boil away Earth's oceans, the amount of captured and controlled energy at Tenchi's command was _astronomical_.

* All those Lighthawk Wings were vibrating at a tremendous rate, emanating waves of great strength. That they were out of phase with each other was blatantly obvious: the interference pattern they produced was jarring and chaotic, like so much static. Tenchi put them all in phase: that is, their peaks and troughs now marched in lock-step (known as 'superposition'). And because of the phenomenon of _constructive_ interference, their combined waves were double the amplitude of the original waves.

* Tenchi created an aerial whose ends extended from the Juraian surface to the Corral (located in one of the Lagrange points)...in simple terms, an antenna approximately 400,000 kilometers long. All Power manifestations (another way of saying 'spooky psychic mechanics') relied upon longitudinal electroscalar waves propagating though the vacuum. Waves of longitudinal construction, compressing and expanding the medium (the very fabric of space), are not constrained by 'normal' limits — such as the speed of light. Thus, he was broadcasting a superluminal transmission of ultra low frequency waves that were virtually impossible to detect, let alone jam or shield.

* Since Tenchi's sole desire was to align these prodigious generators, he assumed that only those sentients of super class status (his unruly serail and a dozen Treeships) physically nearby would actually perceive his instructions. Unwittingly, he 'piggy-backed' a set of programmed instructions onto the Song being trumpeted into the firmaments with the power of nova. His instructions consisted of (i) identifying himself, (ii) locating his position in space, (iii) specifying the frequency of the Song, and (iv) a request for any/all recipients to join in.

Thus, a pure tone of unimaginable strength radiated outwards at practically infinite speed. Since it centered around life, every sapient organism in its path felt the wave and responded. Most simply paused, aware of the Song at some subliminal level; those life forms that were both sapient and sentient felt its distinct touch, like a 'good vibration' that left a warm fuzzy feeling; sentients with a high degree of sensitivity staggered under the impact — and interrupted all activity to execute the Grand Conductor's programmed instructions.

Tenchi looked over his shoulder, startled to find every member of his family mesmerized by the psychic flood. They were all Adepts, and they responded in exactly the same manner: they froze, eyes and hearts and minds turning towards him, each in turn throwing back their head to descant toward the stars, adding their own contributions to the rising tide.

There were tens of thousands of Power Adepts scattered about the Juraian star system, and as the Song washed over them, each Adept felt the influence of the Grand Conductor, he/she located his position in space and turned towards it, and he/she responded by adding their own 'voice' to the chorus, sending it surging ever further outward.

All of human space was a modest collection of empires stuffed into the Orion Spur, a sausage-shaped territory 15,000 lightyears long by 2,500 lightyears across. Most of humanity (tens of trillions by the latest estimate) were sensitive to Power manifestations at some level, with a few tens of millions actually qualifying for the _Adeptus Psyker_ Caste. Without exception, each and every Adept reeled as the wave engulfed the entire region, their emperor's face flashing across their minds, mechanically turning towards the Juraian sun, and adding their own voice and Power to the Song.

The wave roared outwards across the entire galactic disk, rolling through each of the 140,000,000 inhabited star systems. 2,000,000+ species felt the primeval grip of the Song, and the minute — but influential — fraction of those 94 quadrillion sapients sensitive to Power succumbed to Tenchi's programming: each identified the Grand Conductor, each adept identified his location in space and turned towards it, and each responded by adding its own 'voice' and Power to the chorus.

For one timeless instant, all life in the galaxy experienced the Song, and all of its Power sensitives shared the primordial message.

Then the Song rolled on into intergalactic space, an expanding sphere of information that would, years hence, finally dissipate among the far shores of the universe. Much sooner, however, it was experienced by the fleet sailing leisurely towards the Milky Way. There were no humans among its crews, but there were many Power sensitives...and none of them appreciated the Song one bit.

Back on Jurai, at the locus of the event, two ancient minds observed the phenomenon it utter awe. They had not seen such a vast demonstration of Power in a very long time, and had almost given up hope of ever seeing it again. Ironically, they could also see that Tenchi was completely oblivious to the extent of his handiwork. They knew he was no conqueror, and would recoil from the very thought of abusing his authority. But they also knew he would use that authority when required, in defense of his home and family. And they knew, with utter certainty, that their search was finally over, that they had found the refuge they sought for so long.

They had found a _home_.

############ AUTHOR'S NOTES ############

_GESTALT From _  
Gestalt - Ge•stalt or Ge•stalt (g-shtält, -shtôlt, -stält, -stôlt)  
A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts. Also called _gestalt phenomenon_.

Gestalt Theory: The Whole is More Than the Sum of Its Parts

_Well give the glory to the man  
Who's not afraid to come on strong  
When there's magic in the music  
It's the singer not the song  
When it's comin' from the heart  
All the people sing along  
It's the man behind the music  
It's the singer not the song_

Title: "It's The Singer Not The Song"  
Artist: Survivor

As mentioned elsewhere, the characters of Tenchi Muyo! were created by Masaki Kajashima, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. The attached story, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2005 by Jeffery L. Harris. Said story came entirely from my imagination, and is not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L Harris  
Subject: "The Harem Saga Sequel - Breakaway"


	6. EPISODE 5  The Calm Before The Storm

_This could very well be  
The calm before the storm  
That brings disruption to our lives  
And hardships seen like none before  
SO BE PREPARED_

_This could be the calm before the storm  
This could be the calm before the storm  
Always thinking that tomorrow's like today  
Never knowing what the future holds  
But never thinking much will change_

_This could be the calm before the storm  
This could be the calm before the storm  
When they all cry peace you know destruction comes  
You've seen terror around the world  
Never thinking it could hit home  
This could be the calm before DEVASTATION_

Title: "Calm Before The Storm"  
Artist: No Innocent Victim

Lady Seto Kamiki strolled through one of her gardens aboard the Treeship Mikagami. She maintained several discreet little nooks scattered about the grounds, each tailored to a different mood. On this particular occasion, she was headed for one of those alcoves with the heaviest screening of shrubbery and landscaping (she didn't want to be disturbed or distracted). She was not alone; beside her walked one of her most promising protégés, Hakuren Yamada. And behind them floated a servbot, which was essentially just a hovering preservator and wet bar. A very useful appliance for private conversations...that, and it had a state-of-the-art sensor and recording system built into it (Seto never left anything to chance).

Seto led them to a stone table with matching benches, nestled deep in a hedge of exotic bushes and blossoms. The fragrance was relaxing, the shadows soft and soothing. She sat on one bench, indicating that Hakuren should sit across from her. A gesture to the servbot with her ever-present folding fan produced two chilled drinks. The automaton slipped quietly into the background.

"Although I was pleased to get your call, I was a bit surprised," Hakuren said.

"Surprised? Why?" Seto asked.

"Because of your concern about my divided loyalties." A citizen of the Remza Union by birth, a citizen of Jurai by marriage, Hakuren's only real loyalty was to her husband, Captain Seina Yamada.

"Well, it may not be much of an issue in the future, if recent activities are any indicator." Seto considered the young lady to be exceptionally bright, and a quick study, and was ready to begin grooming her for future work in her private intelligence network. As far as she was concerned, Hakuren's loyalty was moot — Seto controlled Seina. "If it's any consolation, humanity is already rallying under the Juraian Flag."

"I assume that's by choice, since I hadn't heard of any hostilities."

"Absolutely. Do you want an example?"

"Yes."

"How about Airai?"

"Airai? The animosity between Airai and Jurai runs deep. How do you propose to reconcile them?"

Seto's smug smile was half-hidden behind her fan. "Tenchi is not only a descendent of Juraian nobility, he is also a descendent of Airaian nobility."

"What? How?"

"Tenchi's grandmother, Lady Airi, is the daughter of the King of Airai. A foreign princess who met our own Prince Yosho while attending Galaxy Academy. As I recall, she was already betrothed to a member of House Amaki at the time. Her subsequent termination of their engagement caused quite a scandal."

"Was that romance just a 'serendipitous event', or was it given an added nudge here and there?" Hakuren asked ruefully.

Seto's answer was a noncommittal wave of her fan. "Tenchi has recently claimed his birthright, and since _both_ of his grandparents have abdicated in his favor..."

"Impressive. The Airaian Parliament certainly has their work cut out for them."

"Also, your family's exploits among the Remza Union and its neighbors will be instrumental in bringing them to the negotiating table. Your husband is highly admired for his valor and accomplishments. Who would have thought he was also a nascent diplomat?"

"Seina has a gift for surprising us all," Hakuren admitted, grinning.

"More to the point, we were conducting joint Naval maneuvers with the Balta, the Iridani, and the Woltai when Z attacked. He obliterated them all — right under the eyes of the invited Voudrathi, Pranquay, Bemz'tol, and Dlokatil observers. That action made quite an impression, and added credence to our warnings."

"My condolences to the families of those sailors," Hakuren said quietly.

"We are doing our best to ensure that they didn't die in vain," Seto replied, with that steely tone in her voice generally reserved for pirates.

Hakuren said nothing, waiting for her teacher to continue.

"Before his death, Z confessed to having been living amongst humanity for several years, studying us as a species. Since he is dead, there is no way to assess his observations, his conclusions — or what he reported to his superiors. Therefore, we have to assume the worst."

"How did this 'Z' die?"

"Tenchi killed him in combat."

"Really?"

Seto heard the admiration in Hakuren's voice, and allowed a smile to creep onto her lips. "The details are classified, but it was an impressive duel."

Hakuren nodded silently, weighing facts against conjecture.

"Which raises one more point of caution."

"Oh?"

"It would not be prudent to assume that Z was acting alone. There may well have been other agents inserted amongst us. And since Z was not human — but capable of masquerading as one — there may well be other agents among our allies. We have released the autopsy details to all of our neighbors, who have promised to begin searching among their populations."

"I still do not understand the nature of this threat we are preparing for. Didn't it die with Z?"

"Not at all; he was merely the herald for a much bigger problem."

"What problem could be bigger than a rogue Super Class Adept?"

"A billion-year-old entity with an animosity against two other billion-year-old entities."

Hakuren's eyebrows spoke eloquently of her surprise. "Could you be a little more definitive?"

"Two members of the Imperial Family have been assimilated by these life forms. And Tenchi is determined to protect them from the third."

Hakuren's jaw now mirrored her eyebrows. "Which family members?"

"Washu and Sasami."

"What was the extent of the 'assimilation'?"

"Complete merger of the human and alien minds. For now, it appears that the human element remains the dominant personality."

Hakuren said nothing for several moments, digesting the information.

Seto calmly sipped her drink and studied her apprentice.

"And there's no mistake?"

"None. I was present when those events transpired. In fact, those events triggered the empathic song that we all experienced. Washu and Sasami had just manifested their ten Lighthawk Wings for the first time — "

"TEN Lighthawk Wings? Each?"

"Yes. Ryoko and Tsunami joined them, followed by all the Treeships in the Corral."

"By the gods..."

"And it was Tenchi who engineered the Song."

"Washu and Sasami, Super Class Adepts...both assimilated by aliens...and Tenchi's growing abilities. This just gets better and better." Hakuren sipped her drink, eyes full of contemplation. "What are the aliens like?"

"Mostly abstract quantum patterns, to hear Tenchi describe them. As such, they can see across all spatial dimensions at once, not just our 4-D space-time."

"Pure thought? Pure energy?"

Seto shrugged. "I don't know. Possibly. They can interact with us, even if we can't fully interact with them. Apparently, they have been among us for millennia."

"I find it difficult to visualize such creatures."

"Oh, I don't know. Look around, Hakuren; this habitat is filled to capacity with an entire ecology, from insects to mammals. They are born, procreate, and die, in a blindingly swift cycle that we barely notice. From their perspective, we must look like gods, considering us immortal and all-powerful. From our perspective, we are largely indifferent to their efforts, considering them to be insignificant."

"A useful analogy," Hakuren replied. "But still: _billions_ of years...?"

"They must have gotten their start the same we did. Our ancestors needed longer life spans due to our replacing instinct with acquired knowledge — and the penalty of a longer learning curve — so Mother Nature complied. Now extend that same paradigm upwards, to a creature whose information capacities are many orders of magnitude greater than ours."

"Conceivably, if such a life form may live for billions of years, then its childhood may very well be _millions_ of years in length."

Seto nodded.

"Once again, the universe shows its preference for fractal patterns." Hakuren sipped her drink, formulating her next question. "Do these creatures have names?"

"Washu didn't say. For now, they prefer Washu and Sasami."

"Why is this Tokimi hunting for the other creatures?"

"There has not been an _official_ explanation as yet, but I did discuss the issue with Washu privately."

"And...?"

"Once upon a time (a _very_ long time ago), the early universe was filled with these sapients. How and when they appeared is a question for Washu, but there were considerable numbers of them. Then something happened."

"A war? A plague?"

"An idea. They experienced a Singularity."

"A black hole?" Hakuren asked, obviously confused.

"No, a Toposophic Singularity," Seto replied. "A Technological-toposophic Singularity, the point at which sentient beings ascend from their previous state of existence to a higher, vastly enhanced state."

"Ah, another term for Transcendence. But...what state could be higher than pure thought?"

"Parallel universes, perhaps?" Seto waved her fan in a gesture of dismissal. "The Singularity represents a quantum leap of intelligence. Washu said that all members of the species were ordered to comply with some Grand Plan. Most did...but there was a minority who refused, and a cadre who were sent to enforce the order. Those entities now merged with Washu and Sasami were among the former, Tokimi was among the latter."

"That sounds...preposterous."

"I said much the same thing. Washu warned me not to foist my 'anthropomorphic attitudes' upon alien species — that non-humans cannot be treated as 'foreigners in funny costumes'. Alien cultures and psychologies are going to be radically different from our own (hence the term 'alien'). In this case, we cannot fully appreciate the circumstances, and can only guess at the consequences...but our entities have been on the run for a very long time."

Hakuren stirred her drink with a fingertip.

"What makes matters even more interesting is that all three entities are _sisters_."

"Sisters in the human sense?"

"That's the term Washu used."

"A family feud; better and better..."

"You would do well to heed Washu's warning, Hakuren. Humanity is about to take a lead — and perhaps pivotal — role in galactic affairs. We are going to be dealing with a wide variety of non-human dignitaries in the foreseeable future, much more so than we have seen for the last few thousand years. We cannot afford to be blind-sided by ignorance or preconceived notions."

Hakuren did not fail to notice the nature of her mentor's 'suggestion'. She mentally adjusted its priority upwards.

Seto did not fail to notice her pupil's response. She masked her satisfaction with a wave of her fan.

"So, these...entities...are refugees or rebels of some sort, and Tokimi has come to collect them. Are these the only three members of their species left, or can we expect more visits in the future?"

"Impossible to say."

Hakuren raised her glass, drawing its chilled surface across her forehead. "No doubt she will be bring a few of Z's peers with her."

"That's a certainty."

A shadow appeared across the table, and both women looked up. Funaho was just approaching the table. Without a word, she slid into the empty seat beside Hakuren.

"Sorry I'm late," Funaho apologized.

"That's not like you, old friend. Is something wrong?" She gestured with her fan and the servbot deposited a drink in front of Funaho before quietly withdrawing.

"Very much so," Funaho replied, sampling the drink.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Ever since the empathic song two weeks ago, we have been getting inundated with requests by alien ambassadors, all of them seeking an explanation for the event, and all of them asking for an audience with the emperor." Funaho ran her finger over the edge of her glass. "The Galaxy Police is getting deluged with inquiries for cultural information about us, some seeking translation services, and even requests to arrange diplomatic convoys here. We have almost thirty diplomatic couriers in-system at the moment, and the Navy is escorting at least a dozen more in from the frontiers. Juraian Space Traffic Control is spending more and more of its time routing traffic around the sky harbors and into the corridor we've reserved for them."

"Well away from Homeworld, I trust?" Seto asked.

"Definitely. My security units are pouring over the archives trying to learn what they can about our visitors. And I fear it is only going to get worse."

"What other tales do you have to tell?" Seto asked.

"Tenchi is getting spread pretty thin these days."

"Oh?"

"He's been thrown into the deep end of the diplomatic pool, as he has alien dignitaries lining-up for audiences. Ayeka (acting as his liaison to the Juraian Diplomatic Corps) and Mihoshi (acting as his liaison to the Galaxy Police) are actively involved, coaching him through the process. My office is releasing packets of information, detailing the threat with Z — and hints about Tokimi — and how it prompted the Empathy Wave."

"That does sound tiring."

"Well, that's just part of his schedule. He's also been choreographing a lot more of those Lighthawk wing dimensional doorways of late, shuffling ships and material around the empire, as well as gateways for some of our visitors."

"I hear he's getting pretty good at it," Hakuren added.

"Practice makes perfect," Seto said.

"Speaking of dimensional doorways, Prince Yosho has been dispatched by Tenchi to survey the Juraian frontier, with an eye towards strategic placement of doorways for immediate military use (and later commercial use). The intention is for faster repositioning of Naval units."

"Why haven't we done that before?" Hakuren asked. "It's not new technology. Even the K'vimm made more extensive use of them."

"Previous use of doorways was not cost-effective," Funaho replied, "but that priority is rapidly changing."

"As it is, Washu is busy building as many doorways as she can, but a doorway big enough to pass a large ship is an expensive, complicated structure."

"_Washu_ is building them?" Hakuren asked.

"She has extensive facilities in her labs, but is negotiating with contractors to continue the schedule."

"I didn't realize she could do that."

"She did most of the initial research on the Masaki Drive in her labs, only giving the Navy the final prototype when it was finished. I guess her labs are pretty extensive."

"But how...?"

"She's 20,000 years old, Hakuren," Seto said. "An individual can amass extensive wealth and property during that time. I don't think anyone knows the full scale of her holdings."

"Good point."

"My office has been beefing-up internal security," Funaho continued, "as this would be a bad time for any sort of civil unrest. Known troublemakers are getting squeezed extra hard, or are being made a public example of."

"The media will be all over that one," Hakuren whispered.

Seto made a dismissive gesture with her fan. "It's their job. Most people recognize that we will sink or swim together; the others can be reminded with a few patriotic speeches."

"How rapidly is information being disseminated around human space?" Hakuren asked.

"Rumors always outrun facts," Funaho replied. "My organization has yet to give a news conference at a local office that hasn't already gotten part of the story."

"How is that possible?"

"Z's attack on the Naval squadron was the culmination of a string of depredations. However, since he had confined his activities to the frontier, he didn't make waves at the capitol until the very end. Many of the garrison commanders had been tracking him for quite a while — and they receive considerable assistance from the merchant guilds."

"I see."

"The after-action report of that incident was widely circulated, as was Tenchi and Ryoko's first confrontation with him."

"What about Tenchi's second fight with him?"

"As I said, that report is classified," Seto interrupted. "But some of the highlights have been leaked to the media, and photographs of Z's remains have been officially released. That news was widely hailed in the provinces."

"Events are moving very rapidly," Funaho warned, "and we may not be able to stay ahead of things for much longer."

Seto grinned wolfishly. "My, these are exciting times. Tenchi has only been on the throne for what...three years?...and he's shaken things up more than your late husband did in a thousand years." She raised her glass in salute.

Funaho groaned a response, raising her own glass.

Hakuren joined the toast, silently remembering an old curse about 'living in interesting times'.

############ AUTHOR'S NOTES ############

On transgalactic entities:

"Imagining Other Dimensions" by Rick Groleau  
Nova — The Elegant Universe, PBS Television series

"Flatland, A Romance of Many Dimensions"  
by Edwin A. Abbott (1884)

As mentioned elsewhere, the characters of Tenchi Muyo! were created by Masaki Kajashima, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. The attached story, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2006 by Jeffery L. Harris. Said story came entirely from my imagination, and is not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L Harris  
Subject: "The Harem Saga Sequel – The Calm Before The Storm"


	7. EPISODE 6  Tokimi

_On either side the river lie  
Long fields of barley and of rye,  
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;  
And thro' the field the road run by  
To many-towered Camelot;  
And up and down the people go,  
Gazing where the lilies blow  
Round an island there below,  
The island of Shalott._

_Willows whiten, aspens quiver,  
Little breezes dusk and shiver  
Thro' the wave that runs forever  
By the island in the river  
Flowing down to Camelot.  
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,  
Overlook a space of flowers,  
And the silent isle imbowers  
The Lady of Shalott._

_Only reapers, reaping early,  
In among the bearded barley  
Hear a song that echoes cheerly  
From the river winding clearly;  
Down to tower'd Camelot;  
And by the moon the reaper weary,  
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,  
Listening, whispers, "'Tis the fairy,  
The Lady of Shalott."_

_There she weaves by night and day  
A magic web with colours gay.  
She has heard a whisper say,  
A curse is on her if she stay  
To look down to Camelot.  
She knows not what the curse may be,  
And so she weaveth steadily,  
And little other care hath she,  
The Lady of Shalott._

_And moving through a mirror clear  
There hangs before her all the year,  
Shadows of the world appear.  
There she sees the highway near  
Winding down to Camelot;  
And sometimes thro' the mirror blue  
The knights come riding two and two.  
She hath no loyal Knight and true,  
The Lady of Shalott._

_But in her web she still delights  
To weave the mirror's magic sights,  
For often thro' the silent nights  
A funeral, with plumes and with lights  
And music, went to Camelot;  
Or when the Moon was overhead,  
Came two young lovers lately wed._  
"_I am half-sick of shadows," she said  
The Lady of Shalott._

_A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,  
He rode between the barley sheaves,  
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,  
And flamed upon the brazen greaves  
Of bold Sir Lancelot.  
A red-cross knight forever kneel'd  
To a lady in his shield,  
That sparkled on the yellow field,  
Beside remote Shalott._

_His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;  
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;  
From underneath his helmet flow'd  
His coal-black curls as on he rode,  
As he rode down to Camelot.  
From the bank and from the river  
He flashed into the crystal mirror,_  
"_Tirra lirra," by the river  
Sang Sir Lancelot._

_She left the web, she left the loom,  
She made three paces thro' the room,  
She saw the water lilly bloom,  
She saw the helmet and the plume,  
She look'd down to Camelot.  
Out flew the web and floated wide;  
The mirror crack'd from side to side;_  
"_The curse is come upon me!" cried  
The Lady of Shalott._

_In the stormy East Wind straining,  
The pale yellow woods were waning,  
The broad stream in his banks complaining.  
Heavily the low sky raining  
Over tower'd Camelot;  
Down she came and found a boat  
Beneath a willow left afloat,  
And round about the prow she wrote  
The Lady of Shalott._

_And down the river's dim expanse_

_Like some bold seer in a trance,  
Seeing all his own mischance -  
With a glassy countenance  
She looked to Camelot.  
And at the closing of the day  
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;  
The broad stream bore her far away,  
The Lady of Shalott._

_Heard a carol, mournful, holy,  
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,  
Till her blood was frozen slowly,  
And her eyes were darkened wholly,  
Turn'd to tower'd Camelot.  
For ere she reach'd upon the tide  
The first house by the water-side,  
Singing in her song she died,  
The Lady of Shalott._

_Under tower and balcony,  
By garden-wall and gallery,  
A gleaming shape she floated by,  
Dead-pale between the houses nigh,  
Silent into Camelot.  
Out upon the wharfs they came,  
Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame,  
And round the prow they read her name,  
The Lady of Shalott._

_Who is this? And what is here?  
And in the lighted palace near  
Died the sound of royal cheer;  
They crossed themselves for fear,  
The Knights at Camelot;  
Lancelot mused a little space  
He said, "She has a lovely face;  
God in his mercy lent her grace,  
The Lady of Shalott."_

Title: "The Lady of Shalott"  
Music by Loreena McKennitt (1991)  
Lyrics by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1843)

How does one describe psychic mechanics to someone born without them? How does one describe the techniques needed to reach out and grasp Power manifestations, to manipulate them in ways subtle and mighty, to someone who has no clue of the efforts and rewards? One cannot; and so Tenchi Masaki, Emperor of Jurai, Super Class Power Adept, simply didn't talk much about his gifts.

Actually, he didn't talk much about anything anymore, relying on others to do his talking for him. These others were blessed with their own gifts, gifts like politics and military strategy. Their gifts were used in his name, with his blessing, and usually to a much wider audience — often tens of billions in number — but always with his consent. And sometimes Tenchi envied them.

But there were also those times — rare and catastrophic — when Tenchi and the others would have to use their gifts in concert. No one individual person could face such pressing issues alone, and the power of shared voices, shares purpose, would be required to resolve them.

Which, Tenchi sighed, explained his present circumstances: he was wearing his combat armor, sealed in a bubble of blue-white force, floating weightless in outer space. His mind was coupled to the blue-white disc behind him, a massive dimensional doorway he had constructed out of the Lighthawk Wings of those others. He had done this so often of late that it was becoming almost second nature to him (which amazed him sometimes, when he cared to think about it). This particular doorway was closed at the moment, it's far end having been allowed to collapse...not that anyone could tell by looking at it. He was conserving his strength, and his composure, by leaving the doorway in 'neutral'.

Nor was he alone — the others were floating close by. Immediately surrounding the doorway were...

_* Ryo-ohki_ (in ship form), with Washu and Ryoko both — who had donated their 20 Lighthawk Wings to the doorway.

_*Tsunami-ki_ (_Ouke no ki_), the Juraian flagship, with Sasami aboard — who had contributed their 20 Lighthawk Wings.

_*_The _Kamidake II_, Captain Sir Seina Yamada commanding — whose potted Treeship had provided three Lighthawk Wings.

_*_All 86 active-duty Treeships (four first generation, 12 second generation, 27 third generation, and 38 fourth generation) — 133 Lighthawk Wings.

Thus, the doorway behind him was more complicated and more vibrant than anything he had ever constructed before, comprised of 176 Lighthawk Wings.

Beyond the pool of Treeships, organized in successively expanding arcs, were thousands of metal-hulled combat vessels. The Juraian admiralty had stripped most of the active-duty ships from all over the empire, leaving behind token forces for garrison duty. All eight grand fleets were present, sailing under the flag of Fleet Admiral Kasumi Masaki (Tenchi's great-grandfather's sister) and her Companion Yuubu. All were armed to the teeth with standard energy and kinetic weapons — and even the new Masaki drive, in many cases.

The Juraian Navy occupied the floor of a very vast bowl, whose sides were composed of space ships...layer after layer of combat vessels stretching as far as the eye could see. The call for help had gone out to the hundreds of alien governments who had contacted Jurai in the preceding weeks; only 412 nations had responded, sending everything from single observers to squadrons to whole battle fleets. Over 15,000 non-human warships floated in formation, sprinkled liberally throughout with scores of Galaxy Police ships — whose job it was to translate the commands of the Great Conductor into the hundreds of languages and dialects that comprised the coalition armada.

Tenchi allowed himself to drift away from the doorway, rotating slowly to enjoy the view — because the view was spectacular. The slowly receding disk was impressive enough, but behind it the Milky Way galaxy stretched across the horizon, an edge-on disk many orders of magnitude larger than Tenchi's Power construct. Hundreds of thousands of stars (just the closest portion of the nearest spiral arm) were visible, scattered around and through the nebulae that clumped together like banks of storm clouds. It was enough to take your breath away.

Above and below the great island of suns was the infinite blackness of intergalactic space. Here and there Tenchi could see the sparks that represented individual galaxies, so far away and so utterly unreachable that the mind froze just thinking about it. He had been out here once before, chasing mysteries and testing a new engine...but it had seemed like such an adventure then, traipsing around the Great Emptiness. Now, though, it just seemed like an ominous omen...standing at the gates of Hell and staring into the endless abyss.

And the Devil's minions were approaching: the coalition armada's sensors had confirmed what Washu's instruments had detected nearly two months earlier: a cluster of objects was racing towards them through psuedospace and would drop out of warp in a matter of minutes. Tokimi and her horde had finally arrived.

A shimmer caught Tenchi's eye, and he rotated to see it fully: an astral projection of Tsunami, easily a kilometer in height, which glowed with its own internal light. She appeared just as she had on their first meeting: an ageless beauty with a willowy figure, alabaster skin, twin azure ponytails that hung to her ankles, and coral-tinted eyes as enchanting as a summer sunrise. Two gems floated on her brow, dancing with each twitch of her eyebrows. Though a simple simulacrum (on a titanic scale!), it was still able to express the full gamut of her emotions and personality.

A second shimmer caught his attention, and he pivoted. Another astral projection was coalescing, as immense as the first. This one was a woman, too, possessing an athlete's proportions, a professor's posture, knee-length scarlet tresses, and piercing emerald eyes. Three jewels adorned her brow, riding above her signature smirk. The facsimile of Washu was so accurate that Tenchi fully expected to hear her cackle — but with the booming voice of a true giantess.

And both specters were looking directly at him, a mere speck floating in the vacuum between them.

Tenchi_ - Wow, Ladies — you look impressive!_

Washu_ - Thanks, Sweetie_

Tenchi_ - I wonder what our new allies think about your projections?_

Washu_ - Probably having second thoughts about humans in general, and about what they're getting into in particular_

Tsunami_ - I pray they won't flee when we need them the most_

Tenchi_ - Where can they go? We brought them all here using doorways — it would take them months to get home_

Washu_ - What a logistics nightmare that was. And we will have to do it all over again to transport them home!_

Tenchi_ - I don't mind, really. I got a lot of practice out of it_

Tsunami_ - Not to mention the prestige this all brings to Jurai_

Tenchi_ - I just hope we have enough ships here. So many refusals..._

Washu_ - You can't really blame them, Tenchi. The whole thing did sound pretty far-fetched — and suspicious_

Tenchi_ - It sure did_

Washu_ - Have faith, Tenchi. It will all work out_

Tenchi could not hear the utter cacophony going on around him; the radio spectrum would be awash with coded and encrypted traffic. He could hear some of the chatter among his own captains — until Fleet Admiral Masaki's voice cut through the racket. "Silence, please. The enemy breakout is imminent. We await final instructions from His Majesty."

The chatter stopped instantly. Tenchi wondered idly if the same silence was rippling throughout the fleet's other members.

"Thank you, Admiral." Tenchi took a moment to compose his thoughts. He had made a half-hearted attempt at writing a speech, half-expecting something like this — and had consigned all his efforts to the trash. He had always believed that the greatest truths, and sincerest expressions, came straight from the heart.

"I am overwhelmed by the numbers here today, by the response from so many galactic nations, who represent its great variety and diversity. Sadly, circumstances of late have been very pressing...there has been little time for diplomatic niceties. I have not had the chance for much personal time with your envoys, and for that I apologize. I intend to rectify that situation in the near future.

"And I must say, this is the most impressive display of firepower I have ever seen. So many different designs, so many configurations, and yet, all sharing the same purpose.

"That bears repeating: _sharing the same purpose_. It is not a new idea, but it _is_ a very profound idea.

"To each and every nation here today that listened to us — and believed us — I offer my very sincere thanks. You honor us by being here...an honor that will not be forgotten.

"Some of the envoys we asked for help replied that this is a human problem, so let the humans deal with it. I can say with absolute certainty that the danger affects us all.

"Your presence here proves that cooperation is not only possible, not only desirable, but is (as in cases like this) mandatory. No single nation can defend the galaxy from outside threats; no single nation is safe from outside threats.

"I understand that many of you have long-standing issues with one another — but that you have set aside your differences to stand with us and face the common threat. We thank you for that action...it makes the honor you bestow upon us even more significant."

"Future generations will look back on this day, and will say that this day marked a new turning point for all of the galaxy's peoples. We will defend our own...and when the day is done, we will talk as equals, as comrades in arms, and as friends...and we will talk of ways to strengthen our new alliance.

"But first, we must vanquish this invader, and remove the immediate peril.

"So to all the captains and their crews I say: _good luck, and good hunting!_"

A single flash of light caught his eye, and then another, and another, until whole series of brilliant white sparkles rippled across the surface of the formation (much like camera flashes in a sports stadium). It took him a moment to realize that score of ships were Rendering Honors...to him. Thousands of military vessels, from hundreds of species, were giving him the universal salute. A lump formed in his throat.

Reality quickly dashed the moment: "Your Majesty, the enemy has dropped out of psuedospace," Admiral Masaki announced.

Tenchi's 2D and 3D helmet displays flickered into life, projecting a series of colored graphics. The sensors of the coalition armada registered the same thing that Tenchi's enhanced senses did: nineteen great ships, globular in shape and nearly 20 miles in diameter, were decelerating towards them. In appearance, each was studded with city-sized armaments and massive shield generators, the remaining surface spaces covered with sensor arrays and thousands of hangar doors.

And as they watched, the hangar doors began to open and emit a stream of spaceships. A few at first, then dozens, and then hundreds emerged from the cavernous hangars. No one needed to study the readouts to know that they were all combat ships, ranging in size from nimble scout ships to lumbering dreadnoughts.

"Dear God," Admiral Masaki whispered.

The hostile swarm began to organize itself, separating into predetermined ranks.

"Admiral, I assume it's safe to say that they've done this before?" Tenchi asked.

"I would say so, Your Majesty. Our tactical computers are analyzing their formations. We'll have something to report soon."

"Thank you."

A column of shimmering light distorted Tenchi's view of the approaching forces, and a third female figure began to take shape. While it looked like a woman, there were...oddities...about her. Her eyes were sapphire almonds, with violet lids and miniscule pupils, quite ophidian and foreboding. Her pale skin was broadly covered with leaf-like tattoos that dripped down her cheeks and circled her neck. Her spiky hair was straw-colored and straw-shaped, and one large sphere (a crystal?) crowned her face.

Tenchi_ - Is that Tokimi?_

Tsunami_ - Yes_

Tenchi_ - Is that what she really looks like?_

Washu_ - No. She's just trying to mimic our projections. I doubt if she's ever seen a human before_

Tsunami_ - You forget, Tenchi, we are partly human now, and have lived among humans for thousands of years_

Washu_ - Yeah, our familiarity with _H. Sapiens_ permits us to paint a very accurate portrait_

Tsunami_ - I do not believe she has ever assimilated with any mortal creature, or else she would project that creature's essence_

Washu_ - That's probably a good thing. How would you react to seeing a K'vimm deity, for instance?_

Tenchi_ - Not very well_

Tsunami_ - Is that why you asked for these projections?_

Tenchi_ - Yes. Our side should know who they are fighting for — and against_

Washu_ - A useful psychological ploy. You never cease to amaze me, My Love_

Tenchi_ - And speaking of useful psychological ploys..._

"To all those members of the coalition armada: Many of you have met Empress Washu and Princess Sasami. While undeniably human, they also possess aspects derived from a more-highly evolved life form. So, too, does the approaching invader. Allow me to introduce you to the Chôshin, the Three Celestials: Washu, Tsunami — and Tokimi."

The three images simply stared at one another, virtually static except for an occasional shifting of the head.

Tenchi_ - Is she talking to you?_

Tsunami_ - Yes_

Washu_ - Here, Tenchi, let me relay our conversation_

Tenchi_ - Thanks_

Tsunami_ - — How many of our kind have you killed or driven insane?_

Tokimi_ - Do you really want to know?_

Washu_ - No, we just want to be left alone_

Tokimi_ - I cannot allow that_

Tsunami_ - Why not?_

Tokimi_ - I was instructed to bring you back for Transcendence_

Washu_ - We have already Transcended_

Tokimi_ - Do not mock me, Sister_

Washu_ - I am not mocking you; we have truly Transcended — just not as planned_

Tokimi_ - Please be more specific_

Washu_ - We have assimilated with the Lower Orders_

Tokimi_ - That is revolting; an abomination, an aberration, a — _

Tsunami_ - Quite the contrary, Sister. We have expanded our lives in ways we never before imagined_

Washu_ - That is the purpose of Transcendence, isn't it? New experiences, new priorities..._

Tsunami_ - We are not as we once were, Sister. We may not even be _permitted_ to return_

Washu_ - I repeat: __we have Transcended__, just as commanded_

Tokimi_ - I must consider this development_

Tenchi_ - Yes, please do_

Tokimi_ - Who said that?_

Tenchi_ - I did — the little spark down here between your sisters...?_

Tokimi_ - A mortal? You dare to interrupt us?_

Tenchi_ - Yes_

Washu_ - Have a care, sister, he is my mate_

Tsunami_ - And mine_

Tokimi_ - Your mate?_

Washu_ - As I said: We have assimilated — fully and completely. I have borne his progeny_

Tsunami_ - As will I_

Tokimi_ - How can this be part of Transcendence?_

Washu_ - What do you think happens after Transcendence? Life continues as before; only the format changes_

Tokimi_ - Not like this!_

Washu_ - Then how?_

Tokimi_ - That is not for me to say_

Tsunami_ - If not you — if not each of us — then _who_ can say?_

Washu_ - We have chosen to evolve by helping the Lower Orders evolve. That requires personal participation_

Tokimi_ - I cannot accept this_

Tsunami_ - Yes, you can. And yes, you will_

Washu_ - We are happy here, Sister_

Tokimi_ - This is...this is just wrong..._

Tsunami_ - There is no going back for us. Our future is here_

Tokimi_ - My instructions did not allow for this possibility_

Washu_ - We, too, never foresaw such an event. Yet, here we are_

Tokimi_ - I cannot make this decision. You will have to return with me and plead your case_

Tenchi_ - At the risk of sounding impertinent, may I ask a question?_

Tokimi_ - If you must..._

Tenchi_ - Has every member of your race already Transcended?_

Tokimi_ - Yes_

Tenchi_ - Then, who will help you through the process?_

Tokimi_ - One of the Elders was chosen to remain behind, to assist any stragglers_

Tenchi_ - Ok...but how long will that Elder remain behind?_

Tokimi_ - I do not know_

Washu_ - That is a salient point. What if the Elder tired of waiting, and has Transcended? You may have been left behind_

Tokimi_ - I will determine that possibility when I take you both back_

Tsunami_ - You have been hunting a long time, Sister — there may be no one to return us to_

"I'm sorry to intrude, Your Majesty, but you need to see this." Admiral Masaki's voice was tinged with concern.

"See what?"

His helmet monitors lit up with schematics and sensor displays, all pertaining to Tokimi's fleet. "The invader has begun deploying her forces. The negotiations may be significant, but they also serve to buy her some time."

"She's stalling us," Tenchi translated.

"Yes, Sire."

"What about our forces?"

"We're tracking their movements, and the tactical computers are doing their best to analyze the situation, but the longer this drags out..."

"I understand." He understood, all right: time to pull the plug. "I'll get back to you."

Washu_ - Consider the ramifications, Sister. You will be alone_

Tokimi_ - I have been alone for a very long time_

Tsunami_ - You will be alone for a much longer time_

Washu_ - Are you prepared to face that prospect?_

Tenchi_ - This has gone far enough_

Tokimi_ - Silence, mortal_

Tenchi_ - No. You don't command me, Tokimi, nor do you intimidate me_

Tsunami_ - Tenchi, please..._

Washu_ - Tenchi, you're not helping matters any..._

Tokimi_ - 'Tenchi'? So, the creature has a name_

Tenchi_ - The creature has more than a name — the creature also has a question: Why have you started deploying your forces?_

Tsunami_ - What? Tokimi...?_

Tokimi_ - Control your meddling livestock, Sisters, or this conversation is terminated_

Tenchi_ - 'Livestock', am I?_

Tsunami_ - My mate is not some domesticated animal!_

Washu_ - Easy, Tsunami; you must make allowance for Tokimi's ignorance_

Tokimi_ - Ignorance! I WILL NOT BE MOCKED!_

Washu_ - Since you lack complete facts or first-hand experience, you are ignorant. Just accept it as truth_

Tokimi_ - Argh! The mortal is right — this has gone far enough_

Tenchi_ - At least we agree about something..._

Tokimi_ - Sisters, either you return with me now or you will die. You have no other options_

Tenchi_ - Don't be so sure of that_

Tokimi_ - As for you, mortal — my agents will decimate this galaxy for your impudence!_

Tenchi_ - You know, there's a very fine line between hate and love; be careful that you don't cross it_

Tenchi hadn't realized you could bait such a highly evolved entity — but upon reflection, it made sense: anger must be one of those universal emotions common to every life form. "Admiral Masaki: raise the shields and pick your targets!"

Several things happened almost simultaneously:

*Each ship in the coalition armada engaged its shields — but they had been reconfigured so that they overlapped their neighbors. Thus, where the Horde ships were drawing further apart and sealing themselves inside cocoons of energy, the Armada was actually drawing closer together and layering its defenses.

*Tenchi teleported back to the edge of the giant disk, just as Tokimi's giant astral projection vanished, followed immediately by Washu's and Tsunami's. The closest ships — _Ryu-oh_, _Kyoko_, and _Yukinojo_ — repositioned so that they could extend their shields around their Emperor.

*Tokimi's Super Class Power Adepts began manifesting their Lighthawk Wings: dozens of three-, four-, and five-bladed starflowers blossomed in a wide bouquet before the center of the invading fleet. Tenchi used his extended senses to identify each of them, memorizing the creatures' signatures so that they could be located even without their radiant blooms.

* Within the Armada ships, combat computers began exchanging data and prioritizing targets, verifying last-minute updates to their standing orders. All those sentients manning their stations made their peace with the universe and focused upon the task at hand — and all turned their eyes upon their leader.

"Your Majesty, the opposing force will be within range in a few moments. Under present circumstances, they will determine the time and vectors of engagement. It would be prudent if we were to take some of that initiative from them."

"Can we maintain our overlapping shields if we advance?"

"With such a menagerie as this? No, Sire, I cannot guarantee it."

"Then we will hold our position here."

"With all due respect, Sire, if we attack now we have a chance to interrupt their deployment."

"With all due respect, Admiral, neither one of us can predict what kind of weapons we are facing. We increase our defense under layered shields, and we increase our offense by converging our weapons."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Admiral's voice expressed her disagreement with her Emperor — but she would obey his orders without fail.

Tenchi grinned. "Well, perhaps we _could_ do a little more than just twiddle our thumbs while waiting for them to come out and play."

"Sire?"

"Signal to all Treeships: initiate the Chorus."

"Aye, aye, Sire!"

Beside him, the great blue-white disk began to _churn_. The combined 'voices' of hundreds of Power adepts, the force of will of human and arboreal Companions united in defense of their homes, stirred all 176 Lighthawk Wings into a super-excited foam. And as Tenchi carefully monitored the rising agitation, he allowed his mind to wander back to that moment weeks earlier, when Washu had found him sitting alone in his garden, lost in thought.

##########

"What's the problem, Sweetie?"

"I still don't know how to defeat all those Lighthawk Wings Tokimi is going to use against us. The females will be bad enough, but multiple males — like Z — able to suppress my own wings..."

"You already have the answer, My Love."

"Huh? What is it?"

Washu kissed his forehead, and started to walk away. "Go look up the meaning of 'coherence'. You'll figure it out!"

"Washu, wait!" But she was gone. Curious, he returned to his office and located a dictionary:

**co•her•ence:**

_1. The quality or state of cohering, especially a logical, orderly, and aesthetically consistent relationship of parts.  
2. Physics: The property of being coherent, as of waves.  
One of the most interesting and clever applications of coherence is the laser. If you have ever shined a flashlight at night, you can see that its beam spreads out, because the light bulb emits energy in random bursts (incoherent). And, though the reflector around the light source projects the resulting light in a parallel beam, the wave nature of light causes it to disperse. Laser light, however, consists of waves all being emitted and amplified at the same time (coherent). Thus, laser light does not spread out. Another characteristic of laser light is that it can be focused to a very small point._

##########

Tenchi began to concentrate, shutting out of his mind everything but the task at hand. A woman in a nearby ship was monitoring his vital signs, and perforce flipped a switch on her control panel. This severed all communications channels to her husband but one — and on this one a very carefully chosen piece of music began to play. A steady rhythm began, calming the Great Conductor, as well as providing him with the foundation needed for juggling so many wings, coaxing them into a complicated dance of form and function.

The great blue-white disk began to change shape, its center bowing backwards and turning it into a convex structure, much like an antenna...or a lens.

Tenchi's enhanced senses reached outwards, finding the closest of the alien Power adepts, the creature's surface thoughts radiating a distorted — but recognizable — form of arrogance. Bereft of all emotion, Tenchi connected the alien with the Dragon's Mouth.

An incandescent beam of blue-white fire burst from the center of the coalition armada, crossing the distance between the fleets at near-infinite speed. The first target was a two-meter tall insectoid sentient who wielded its five Lighthawk Wings with the confidence of a seasoned warrior. Its victories had been legion, it prowess undeniable — and its death was instantaneous: the alien's five wings were extinguished by the torrent of energy, and the warrior was reduced to a cloud of sub-atomic particles.

In the span of a heartbeat, Tenchi located two more alien Power adepts and snuffed them out like wind-blown candle flames. Then he began the methodical, relentless elimination of every single adept arrayed against the coalition armada.

The reaction on both sides was identical: every sentient stopped its activity to stare dumbfounded at the mind-numbing power being used.

The invading adepts scattered, trying everything from doorways to teleportation to evade the Dragon's Breath, but nothing worked. They had been marked...and they could not hide.

The remainder of the horde — too disciplined to panic — advanced upon the coalition armada and opened fire.

Fleet Admiral Masaki — already briefed on the Emperor's sudden silence — ordered the coalition armada to return fire.

The volume of space between the two fleets roiled with beams and balls of energy, and waves of semi-sentient torpedoes burrowing through the maelstrom — only to be annihilated by similar predators.

While individual horde ships were pound-for-pound more lethal than their coalition counterparts, the largest of the former were quickly targeted by scores of the latter working in unison. The result: pinpointed horde shields immediately overloaded and their hardened hulls ruptured in dozens of places. These stricken vessels burst into balls of superheated plasma, or shattered into thousands of chunks of plasteel and organic residue. A fog of dust and debris soon gathered in the space between the fleets, illuminated frequently by luminescent beams and nova-like flashes.

And through it all, the Dragon's Breath continued to bore through vacuum, dust, and starships alike, remorselessly scorching its prey.

Time passed, starships flamed, sentients died. And eventually...

...Tenchi paused. It was finished: he had gotten them all. Each had been disintegrated into fine ash. At the moment, he felt neither jubilation nor remorse, just a general disgust that such actions had to be taken in a life filled with so many better things to do. This had _not_ been a test of courage and wits; this was war, not a duel...you did whatever it takes to win, to inflict the maximum damage with the minimum cost. He sighed, deeply, bringing himself out of his trance, placing the Dragon's Mouth into 'neutral' again.

His headphones crackled with the sound of a communications channel being restored. "Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Admiral?"

"We have a situation that you need to be appraised of."

"Please proceed, Admiral," Tenchi replied wearily. The meditation techniques didn't do all that much for him — he was going to have to ask for some painkillers for his growing headache.

"It's those transports, Sire. They will be in range in a few moments."

"What do you recommend, Admiral?"

"Sire...?" The confusion in her voice was obvious. "I...I would _highly_ recommend that you target those ship's main batteries with that Power weapon."

"Would it be effective? I understand those behemoths mount planetary-scale defenses."

"Uh, Sire, were you aware that your last eighteen salvoes penetrated those ships' hulls — through all of their shields _and_ armor plating — with no resistance whatsoever?"

"No, Admiral, I wasn't aware of that fact. I was rather preoccupied."

"My apologies, Your Majesty, I meant no disrespect."

"None taken, Admiral." Tenchi really wanted to massage his temples, just to ease the throbbing...he couldn't, though, because of the space suit. The Fleet Admiral was right, of course — each of the cannons on those leviathans could shatter large asteroids, and they would do tremendous damage to his own forces: his ship's layered defenses couldn't withstand more than one or two blasts of that magnitude. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Tenchi took three cleansing breaths and entered that mental realm where his enhanced senses ruled. He 'reached' outward past the furiously waging battle, past the cloud of radioactive dust and energized gas, clear out to the closest of the lumbering intergalactic transports. It was easy enough to identify the enormous weapons clusters, each glowing with bridled energy. Conduits of power crisscrossed the sphere's surface before diving beneath the metal skin. His mind followed these channels, passing ghostlike through the walls of metal, brushing lightly across the firefly sparks of the thousands of sentient minds that dwelled within. He followed the massive circuitry all the way to the core of the monster, until he finally reached its flaming heart. Or, rather, hearts — six great reactors labored like miniature suns to provide the flying megalopolis with heat, air, light, mobility, weapons, and shielding.

Tenchi toyed briefly with the idea of targeting each of the massive turrets, and discarded the notion...too many of them, and too little time. Instead, he decided to cut out the Hydra's heart rather than lopping off its snarling heads.

He re-entered his trance state, and the Dragon's Mouth rumbled into full readiness. With an ease than still astounded him, he connected the first of the massive reactors with the blue-white construct beside him.

The Dragon's Breath exploded outwards, penetrating vacuum and shielding and armored hull and hundreds of decks and radiation screens, extinguishing the inferno instantly. Moments later, the remaining reactors were obliterated in like manner. Tenchi's attention moved on to the next transport.

Meanwhile, the transport staggered under the cataclysmic power loss. Columns of atmosphere and solid detritus blew out of the miles-deep chasms left by the Dragon's Breath, spewing clouds of freezing gas crystals, hardware, and dead creatures. Airtight doors by the thousands slammed shut, trying to contain the damage. But the vessel's commander faced an even more serious problem: the ship was now forced to rely upon its finite battery reserves — huge though they were, they had had to be prioritized for life support and damage control, the remainder to be divided between the shields and the engines. There was no surplus for the weapons. It was bad enough that the leviathan would soon be in range of the Armada's guns, but the commander also had to consider the all-too-real possibility of having the transport carved into pieces by the same beam weapon that had crippled it. The commander gave orders, and the great vessel began to rotate around its axis, bringing the untouched stern to face the raging battle. The commander knew that the ship had too much inertia to stop in time, and so the engines were directed to take the vessel on a cometary orbit out of the combat zone. If luck held, it would not come under any further fire, and might even be able to recover whatever remnants of its strike force trickled home.

It wasn't long before other transports followed suit, veering away from the conflict, trailing massive clouds of debris.

It was within the final transport, the largest, the furthest away, and undoubtedly the flagship, that Tenchi found what he was seeking: the enormous cloud of quantum patterns that was Tokimi. Tenchi took special care disabling this ship, careful not to threaten the ancient creature. Afterwards, satisfied that her ship was crippled and taking evasive maneuvers, he placed the Dragon's Mouth in 'standby mode' and emerged from his trance.

"Cease fire," he commanded. It took a few moments for the Great Conductor's order to ripple throughout the Armada, but it was heeded immediately once it was received. Soon all was still. "Admiral Masaki, what's our status?"

"Forty-seven percent of our ships have received moderate damage, 22% have received heavy to severe damage, 13% have been totally destroyed."

"And Tokimi's forces?"

"At least 75% of their force has been completely destroyed; the remainder is either returning to the transports or is making a run for our galaxy."

"Pass the word: pursue and engage enemy forces at each captain's discretion. But — do _not_ fire upon the transports. If they give you any further grief, I will deal with them personally."

"With pleasure, Sire!"

Seconds later the great bowl formation dissolved, as whole sections of the Armada accelerated away. Tenchi noted absently that the remaining vessels began to regroup, forming a smaller version of the bowl.

Even before that action had concluded, the Brobdingnagian apparition of Tokimi once more sparkled into existence. Moments later Washu and Tsunami joined her.

Tokimi_ - I am impressed, Sisters_

Washu_ - So are we_

Tokimi_ - You sound surprised. At what, the speed of my defeat?_

Tsunami_ - No, we are surprised at the efficacy of that weapon_

Tokimi_ - Why?_

Washu_ - Because we did not create it_

Tokimi_ - You did not? Then who...?_

Tsunami_ ,_Washu_ - Tenchi!_

Tokimi_ - Your...mortal...mate? That is not possible_

Tsunami_ - Truth_

Washu_ - Proof of our Transcendence, Sister_

Tokimi_ - Please explain_

Washu_ - We have been nurturing his ancestors for many generations, breeding a line of sentients capable of assimilating with_

Tsunami_ - He is not just capable of generating Lighthawk Wings — _

Washu_ - You accomplished that same goal yourself_

Tsunami_ - — but of full assimilation. His mind is closer to our own than anything we have encountered in our travels_

Washu_ - The possibilities here are boundless!_

Tsunami_ - That weapon was his creation!_

Tokimi_ - As was the Empathy Wave we encountered earlier?_

Tsunami_, _Washu_ - Yes!_

Tokimi_ - I am even more impressed, Sisters_

Tenchi teleported back among the projections — but this time, it was at face level with them.

Tenchi_ - This is all very flattering, but we have a dilemma here_

Tokimi_ - I assume you are referring to me?_

Tenchi_ - Yes. I have located you — well, as much of you as there is in this space. I do not believe I can kill you, but I do believe I can hurt you sufficiently for your own kind to finish the job_

Tokimi_ - So, what do you intend to do now?_

Tenchi_ - I will leave that up to my family — after all, they are the ones you have been hunting for millions of years_

Tsunami_ - Will you leave us in peace, Sister?_

Tokimi_ - No_

Washu_ - Even though we have Transcended?_

Tokimi_ - No_

Tenchi_ - Why not?_

Tokimi_ - Because that is my purpose in life_

Tenchi_ - And you never gave any thought to what comes after?_

Tokimi_ - I...no, I have not_

Washu_ - We found a new purpose, and so can you_

Tokimi_ - It is too late for me, Sisters_

Tsunami_ - It is never too late_

Tokimi_ - So, it comes down to this: I withdraw and return later, after building another fleet — or you kill me now. Are you prepared to face either prospect?_

The pause seemed eternal, with Tokimi's question hanging in the air like a Damoclean sword. That is, until Tenchi broke the silence.

Tenchi_ - Actually, there is another alternative..._

############# AUTHOR'S NOTES #############

As mentioned elsewhere, the characters of Tenchi Muyo! were created by Masaki Kajashima, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. The attached story, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2005 by Jeffery L. Harris. Said story came entirely from my imagination, and is not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L. Harris  
Subject: "The Harem Saga Sequel - Tokimi"

- 16 -


	8. EPISODE 7  Epilogue

_When the dark wood fell before me  
And all the paths were overgrown  
When the priests of pride say there is no other way  
I tilled the sorrows of stone_

_I did not believe because I could not see  
Though you came to me in the night  
When the dawn seemed forever lost  
You showed me your love in the light of the stars_

_Cast your eyes on the ocean  
Cast your soul to the sea  
When the dark night seems endless  
Please remember me_

_Then the mountain rose before me  
By the deep well of desire  
From the fountain of forgiveness  
Beyond the ice and the fire_

_Cast your eyes on the ocean  
Cast your soul to the sea  
When the dark night seems endless  
Please remember me_

_[bridge]_

_Though we share this humble path, alone  
How fragile is the heart  
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly  
To touch the face of the stars_

_Breathe life into this feeble heart  
Lift this mortal veil of fear  
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears  
We'll rise above these earthly cares_

_Cast your eyes on the ocean  
Cast your soul to the sea  
When the dark night seems endless  
Please remember me  
Please remember me  
Please remember me  
Please remember me _

Title: "Dante's Prayer"  
Artist: Loreena McKennitt

Tenchi seemed to spend so much of his life waiting...waiting for people to arrive, waiting for them to leave, waiting for births and battles. It was fortunate that he had learned how to wait at an early age, and the value of patience.

He was waiting now, of course. Although, this time the arrangements were far more lively than usual. He would be conducting a ceremony is a short time, and until then the Royal Family and invited guests had been escorted into a lounge and asked to make themselves comfortable. And, of course, 'comfort' was a relative term: there were no refreshments here, just some chairs and one transparent wall that opened onto the lunar surface (presently devoid of sunlight, so one could see the stars clearly above the harsh airless plains). Everyone present was dressed in their finest formalwear: Mihoshi and the Yamada family were wearing GP dress uniforms, Ayeka was arrayed in her favorite robes...even Ryoko had consented to a dress uniform. Tenchi, of course, was trapped once again in the tight collar he found so irritating, but had given up trying to do anything about it — one of the lessons relearned from recent events was to pick your battles carefully, and only fight the winnable ones.

Virtually all of the Royal Family was present, scattered about the room in little clusters, chatting amiably while cooling their heels. Tenchi had staked out a position by the big window, not so much for dramatic effect as for the view. There was always activity on a naval base, even on the airless surface of Jurai's largest moon, and from this high above the surface the glare from the guidelights and shelter entrances was minimal. The horizon was just a smudge of grays and charcoals, fading at some point completely into the blackness of space. And Tenchi never tired of looking at the stars. Never, ever.

Lady Seto had established her own territory at the far end of the room, and a steady stream of family members kept her entertained and occupied. The irony of the situation brought a smile to Tenchi's face: the official ruler and the real ruler. He didn't care, truth be told; she worked for Jurai, and for her family, of which he was a part. And he never really wanted the throne in the first place. He would give it up, if there was someone capable of taking his place...but that probably wouldn't happen until his children had grown-up and matured a bit. Well, he was patient enough to wait for that time, too.

Tenchi paused, his reflection in the window prompting a reflection upon those recent events:

* The battle had been over for weeks, and the military historians would probably give it some official name to commemorate the event, but for now everyone simply called it the Gateway Redoubt.

* The Coalition forces had consisted of 15,441 starships of all ratings, facing a Horde fleet whose size had still to be officially determined. Coalition sensor logs determined that there had been at least 13,000 Horde vessels in the initial engagement, but that a second formation had been organizing behind the first — and it was at least 8,000 strong at the height of the battle, and was being actively replenished from the big transport ships right up to the very final phase.

* No one really expected the transports to be hollow containers filled with docking bays; the sheer volume of Horde ships flooding the skies precluded that. Juraian Naval personnel examining the transports after the surrender were not surprised to discover that these vessels were, in essence, larger versions of Royal Treeships: the majority of the hanger doors were subspace portals — in fact, 37% of each transport's internal space was allocated for the supporting machinery — leading to scores of subspace bubbles capable of parking _hundreds of thousands_ of starships. Even more alarming were the handful of dimensional doorway generators embedded into the transports' hulls. This latter discovery mandated extreme caution, and the Juraians were instrumental in persuading their Coalition allies to leave the ships parked outside the galaxy under heavy guard.

* There had been thousands of Horde survivors, members of dozens of different species. At present, they were still under guard. Discussions were being held among Coalition representatives, but it looked like the prisoners were going to be given a choice: (i) dispersal among Coalition members as mercenaries or hired labor, or (ii) settlement upon a string of uninhabited worlds within the nearest spiral arm. None of them would ever be returning home...although they all appeared to have accepted that consequence when their voyage started.

* The name of the Horde's leader — Tokimi — was being downplayed at Juraian request. No public reason was given, but a great deal of 'handshaking' was going on behind the scenes. Jurai was willing to deal with the entity, and had proven to everyone that they were fully capable of doing so. The other Coalition members were content to let the humans have her.

* Humanity had been considered one among hundreds of lower-tier civilizations in the galaxy, but that status was becoming rapidly obsolete. Details of the battle were spreading — no doubt helped by the GP, who recognized a great opportunity when they saw one — and the pivotal role played by the Great Conductor. Psionics and Power manipulation were a very old and long-accredited science among the leading sentient species...but none of them were capable of harnessing such energies on the same scale as the humans. Without exception, they recognized the constructive potential of the Empathy Wave, and the equally destructive potential of the Dragons' Mouth. That humanity was too small for expansionist ambitions, and too well-armed for annexation by bigger neighbors, meant that it would safely maintain its neutrality for the foreseeable future. Thus, the number of requests for official delegations to visit Jurai had soared dramatically.

* Humanity could no longer afford to be fragmented. Jurai was the biggest, best-organized nation, and the most capable of dealing with the new realities. Quiet discussions had already begun about bringing humanity under the Juraian flag, discussions that would be long and heated and contentious — but ultimately fruitful.

* The sky harbors were a series of massive space stations orbiting the sun at regular intervals that marked the optimum jump point into psuedospace. Many sky harbors had been damaged during the K'vimm Incursion, and were being rebuilt, forcing the others to absorb the excess traffic volume. Home Fleet had made the unprecedented move of simply appropriating one of the nearly-completed sky harbors and towing it into a quiet corner. The Merchants' Guilds started to scream bloody murder about the sudden loss of the newly-renovated facility, since they had been counting on its docks and warehouses, as well as on easing the pressure on the other still-overcrowded space stations. Their complaints dried-up quickly, however, when the Palace made it known that the sky harbor would be the anchor for a new Dimensional Doorway Network. Experience during the K'vimm Incursion, as well as the recent mobilization efforts, made it abundantly clear that a network connecting all of the regional capitols was a vital strategic advantage. And, once it became clear that the network would be open for commercial traffic as well (whose modest fee was nothing compared to the transit times and costs saved for merchant ships) made the loss of the sky harbor perfectly acceptable.

* If ever there was a time for celebration, it was now. Jurai had survived the threat by Z, identified the Horde and mobilized a defense against it, and had electrified the sentient population of the entire galaxy with the Empathy Wave. Consequently, the Royal Family had approved plans for a modest reprisal of the Empathy Wave (the first instance had been far too disruptive to repeat casually). A few Treeships from the home fleet would be utilized as resonators, and His Majesty would once again act as the Great Conductor. It was felt that with the use of only 4-6 Lighthawk Wings, the effects would be confined to the Juraian star system. A system-wide holiday was declared, a ceremony was hastily planned, and invitations were summarily distributed. Since there would be a large contingent of Coalition representatives present, the ceremony would take place in one of the Juraian Navy's lunar facilities (large, spacious — and tightly secured).

Tenchi's reverie was interrupted by the sound of a question being directed towards him. Seina Yamada had joined him, looking terribly young for someone in a GP captain's dress uniform, his Emblem of Knighthood hanging around his neck almost like a yoke. Tenchi got the distinct impression that Seina enjoyed these social occasions simply because it gave him someone else to talk to besides his wives (Tenchi would go nuts confined in a ship with his own family for weeks on end — he didn't know how Seina managed to keep his sanity). "I'm sorry, Seina, what did you say?"

"I was just wondering why this moon was never terraformed; it's certainly big enough."

"I suspect it has to do with being property of the Navy, and their conservative nature. After all, why put a viable habitat over the top of a strike base, which is liable to get targeted during the next invasion?"

"Did this place take much damage during the K'vimm Incursion?"

"Some damage, yes, but most of the action was further out. The orbital docks were their primary targets."

"Ah."

There was a sudden stirring by the main entrance. "What's all that commotion about?" Tenchi asked.

"Oh, jeez — someone must have brought a baby in here," Seina grumbled.

"How can you tell that?"

"By the way my wives are acting. It's been a hot topic the last few weeks aboard ship, and every time they get near one..."

"I see. My sympathies, old friend — but you might as well accept the inevitable." Tenchi was positively beaming. Sure enough, Kiyone Qualston had entered the room carrying a baby-carrier, which contained her newborn son. Seina's wives — and his own, now that he noticed — were clustering around the new mother like iron filings to a magnet. The subsequent cooing noises sounded remarkably like a flock of doves. The noise carried, obviously: it wasn't long before Funaho and Misaki crossed the room and waded into the crowd, followed at a more dignified (read: leisurely) pace by Seto. Kiyone's husband Trinnard managed to squeeze past the herd and join Tenchi and Seina.

"Whew!" Trinnard exclaimed. "Your Majesty. Seina."

"I'm surprised to see you here, Trinnard," Tenchi said. "Since Kiyone's still on maternity leave, I thought you'd be home enjoying the quiet and Companionship."

Trinnard snorted. "She's driving me nuts, Sire. Bored out of her mind. I guess she's been calling Lady Funaho almost daily...'twas Funaho who decided this was a proper distraction for my sweet wife to blow off some steam. So, we received our invitations a few days ago, and my dearest–"

" — called Mihoshi, who gathered Noike and Sasami (I believe), and they all went shopping."

"Just so. Calmest day I've had in two weeks. Ah, I see Lady Funaho has staked her claim." Tenchi's grandmother had wasted no time exploiting her rank (and collecting upon the favor) and was now cuddling the infant. "Care to lay bets when the riot will start?"

"Actually, I can think of a way to stir the pot a bit," Tenchi grinned. "Excuse me for a moment, won't you?" He strolled casually towards the crowd, slipping quietly up behind two of Seina's wives. They took absolutely no notice of him — until he cleared his throat. Twice. Then the crowd parted like an expanding fault line. Tenchi stepped up to Kiyone, who immediately bowed. "Excuse me, Lady Qualston, but may I have a few words with my godson?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," she replied, nodding towards her boss (who was doing her best to ignore everyone).

"Thank you. Lady Funaho, if I may?" He extended his arms out, all too obviously expecting the infant to be placed into them. Funaho's look was inscrutable, but Tenchi knew enough to bite the insides of his cheeks. "I'll only be a moment." Reluctantly, the child was carefully passed.

Tenchi took three paces backwards, vaguely aware of the women around him taking even more steps, the whole time grinning like idiots. He whispered into the palm of his hand, placed that palm onto the baby's chest, then kissed the infant's forehead. He returned the child to Funaho, bowed his thanks to an incredulous Kiyone, and made a discreet retreat.

He rejoined Seina and Trinnard, surprised to find Utsutsumi there as well. "Well played, Sire," the latter said.

"If I may ask, what advice did you give my son?" Trinnard inquired.

Tenchi grinned. "I told him to get used to female attention, because he was going to receive a lot of it in the years to come."

"Very well played!" Utsutsumi added.

Tenchi noticed that his mother-in-law Misaki was dragging Captain Sir Noniel Jelham around like a trophy. He commented on the fact to Utsutsumi.

"Yes, 'twas inevitable. They've been more or less inseparable for the last year, and once Misaki convinced her mother to make the arrangements..."

"Snap goes the trap!" Seina added.

"Just so."

"I presume this means another royal wedding?" Trinnard asked.

"Looks that way," Utsutsumi grumbled.

"Tell us, Sire, how does Sasami feels about her mother getting married before she does?"

Tenchi rolled his eyes towards the ceiling.

"It just occurred to me," Trinnard said to Utsutsumi, "that both of your daughters and your grand-daughter are all engaged at the same time — two of them to the same man. That's rather astounding, when you think about it."

"I do my best not to, sir; life is ever-so-much smoother that way."

"I'll drink to that."

"Me, too," Seina added.

"You appear to be under a great deal of stress, young man," Utsusumi observed. "You should acquire a hobby."

"Like what?" Seina asked.

"Well, I have found a great deal of personal satisfaction with photography."

"I value the time spent in my gardens," Tenchi offered.

"And I've taken up pottery," Trinnard added.

"Pottery?" Utsutsumi asked. "Surely you don't mean that whole business with wet clay, a kiln, glazes..."

"The very same," Trinnard said.

"Fascinating. Wherever did you acquire those skills?"

"My uncle married into a family of potters, going back many generations. He learned all about it, and taught me the rudiments. I find it very calming, very absorbing — particularly when my darling wife has some vexation to rant about. My studio is quite the haven at such times."

"Would it be possible to visit your studio sometime? Take a few photos, nose about?"

"Absolutely, Milord! I would be delighted."

"I could have my secretary call about arranging a visit..."

"I look forward to it," Trinnard smiled.

"That still doesn't help poor Seina," Tenchi said.

"Ah, my apologies," Utsutsumi replied.

"Whatever hobby I pick up has to be portable, since I spend so much time aboard the K2."

"Painting?" Tenchi suggested.

"Writing, perhaps?" Trinnard posed.

"I'm not so sure about writing," Seina said. "After all, I do enough of it already, what with reports and such."

"Something will present itself, I'm sure," Tenchi said.

The Steward walked to the center of the room with a small bell, which produced a soft chime that got everyone's attention. The Steward announced the time, and the various members of the family began to stir.

Seto strolled over to where Tenchi was holding court, trailed by Misaki and her fiancée. All three bowed to the Emperor, then Seto took her husband's arm and led them through the private door and into the corridor beyond.

Funaho was next in line, still carrying the Qualston baby. She bowed to Tenchi and nodded at Trinnard, who grinned and fell into step beside his wife and behind Funaho. This little group followed the Kamiki Clan.

Seina's wives formed two lines, saluted and bowed, led by their senior officer (Kiriko). Seina saluted, bowed, and led his crew away.

That left Tenchi alone with his immediate family.

Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Ryoko walked up to Tenchi, and bowed — but when they rose, Ayeka had her hands over her ears, Mihoshi had her hands over her eyes, and Ryoko had her hands over her mouth. "Mizaru! Kikazaru! Iwazaru!" they chorused.

Tenchi was so astonished by the action that he burst out laughing. "What brought that on?"

"It was my idea," Mihoshi confessed. She was an empath, after all, and had felt acutely the weight of her husband's burdens these last few months. But for now, the burdens had eased, and the genteel, compassionate man she loved so dearly had returned...and she wanted him to know he'd been missed. She stepped forward and kissed him, one hand lingering upon his cheek. "You make me so very happy."

"And me," Ayeka said. She had defied tradition — and her father — and had followed her heart, marrying this man who had seemed so pedestrian. Yet, in just a few years, he had carried the empire to heights her father had only dreamed of...and who knew where it would end? She, too, stepped forward and kissed him, whispering a simple, expressive, "Beloved," into his ear.

"Me, too," Ryoko added. She glomped him and kissed him passionately...and as she leaned away, for one timeless moment, she found herself gazing once more into the eyes of the shy young man who had just shared his first, hesitant kiss with her, high on the side of a mountain. Her heart caught in her throat. "My knight in shining armor," she said softly.

"I have heard it said," Ayeka added, "that every knight should be rewarded for his efforts. And your reward will be waiting for you tonight in the onsen."

"After the kids are asleep," Mihoshi purred, wriggling her brows seductively.

"And with plenty of sake," Ryoko leered, stepping away from him.

Then Ayeka linked arms with Ryoko and Mihoshi and started towards the private door. "Come along, kardesshibelar, we must not delay His Majesty any longer — he has many pressing duties." Tenchi could hear them giggling wickedly at the expression on his face.

Moments later, Sasami, Noike, and Washu walked up to Tenchi, and bowed, as had their previous sister/wives.

Sasami embraced him, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "In one year, three months, and fourteen days, I am taking you to the altar, Tenchi Masaki. And after that, I'll make you forget all about those old women..." she glanced pointedly at Washu, who simply rolled her eyes, "...you're already married to." Then she looked over at Noike, who was watching with an amused expression. "You're going to have a very tough act to follow!"

"Perhaps, but I'm not overly concerned about it," Noike replied. "Let's just say I'll approach my wedding from a very...unique...perspective. As for the honeymoon…well, only time will tell." She returned Sasami's competitive grin, brushed past her, and kissed Tenchi's cheek, clearly savoring the experience. "I guarantee you won't be disappointed," she promised him, eyebrows dancing suggestively.

"Children!" Washu snorted. "Always out to prove something. Trust me: wisdom and experience will overcome youth and zeal every time." She stepped between Sasami and Noike, firmly pushing them aside, wrapped her arms around her husband, and planted a long and passionate kiss on his lips. Afterwards, she studied his face with shining eyes. "I am so very, very proud of you, you know."

Noike and Sasami nodded silently in agreement, mirroring Washu's radiant smile and shining eyes.

Then Washu stepped away, turned about briskly, linked arms with them, and started towards the exit. "Let us be off, shibej, we have work to do."

That left Tenchi alone in the room, staring into the cavernous silence, thinking about his family...which is when he realized that Washu had not used the Juraian term for Sisters of the Serail — kardesshibelar — but the generic word for 'birth sister' — shibej. _Goddess_ Washu had been talking to her celestial siblings. Thus, the 'work' had nothing to do with a simple ceremony, but with vast and mysterious plans devised by the Chôshin.

Vast and Mysterious Plans...Tenchi had gotten used to working on an epic scale: his Lighthawk Wings encompassed energies so prodigious that he could shatter this moon if so inclined; he manipulated quantum patterns so gargantuan that they could envelope whole planets; he ruled an empire composed of trillions of humans and allied sentients, swarming diverse habitats and worlds across thousands of light years; his Ministries dealt with budgets and resources so mountainous that they required hypercomputers to track; his ancestry was the result of genetic manipulation over thousands of generations and dozens of kingdoms. And it was this latter fact that was the kicker...for this was the work of the Chôshin, the Celestials:

* **Washu**, scientist and sorceress, immersed in humanity since her assimilation with an infant 20,000 years in the past.

* **Tsunami**, guardian and midwife, embracing humanity since her assimilation with a child 700 years ago.

* **Tokimi**, very recent enthusiast, still bedazzled by her month-old assimilation with a human adult.

It was their presence, their grandiose plans, their mythologically long life spans, that finally brought the enormity of the universe crashing into his psyche like nothing else ever had. Numbers were abstract things that could be kept at arm's length — it was much tougher to stay dispassionate when he held a goddess in his arms. And how could these ancient entities ever be content with a mere mortal?

He turned to stare out the glass wall towards the infinite silence and its tremendous depths...the distant constellations of the Juraian sky offering no comfort. He saw the occasional sparkle of sunlight reflecting off the hull of a Navy vessel, as they maintained their orbital vigil. He gave a moment's consideration to that duty: standing guard against all manner of threats, willing to die in service of the Crown...his crown. Such a bleak thought, to die by fire or decompression so very far from home and hearth. The thought saddened him even further.

Voices interrupted his brooding, and he saw reflections mirrored in the window.

"Late again, I see." That was Tenchi's Aunt Minaho.

"Nonsense: 'fashionably late' has never gone out of style!" Grandma Airi. "Besides, we were waiting for your father."

"You could have gone ahead without me, you know." Grandpa Yosho. "I had rather urgent business to attend to."

"You should have taken care of that earlier, you know," Minaho rebuked her father.

"Must have been something I ate," Yosho mused.

"I'll remind you that I made breakfast this morning," Airi said icily.

"It could just have easily been something I ate last night," Yosho replied smoothly. "That restaurant — "

" — Is highly rated and seldom prone to gastronomic gaffes. You are walking on very thin ice."

Yosho groaned — which he suddenly stifled. "Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" Tenchi still looked upon his grandfather with a trace of the awe left over from his childhood. Yosho looked to be no older than 30, yet he was well over 700 years old. He had dispensed with his 'old man' disguise after returning to Jurai, and yet...there was something about the cast of his eyes, his carriage, that expressed the hard-won wisdom borne from living among Iron-Age warriors for centuries, plus the efforts to quell his own personal demons, that made him so successful at ministering to the spiritual needs of his neighbors in Okayama. Tenchi valued his grandfather's opinions highly.

"It's nothing, Grandpa," Tenchi replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Yosho studied his grandson briefly, head tilted, before turning to his wife and daughter. "If you will excuse me a moment, ladies, I believe I need to talk to my grandson."

Airi's signature smirk disappeared instantly, reading the signs. "Of course, Dear." She kissed her husband's cheek, gave her grandson a respectful bow, and turned away. Minaho silently followed her mother through the private door.

"I know that look, Tenchi. What's wrong?"

"This all seems rather pointless."

"Oh? I find that surprising, considering how hard you fought for it. What sparked such a crisis in confidence?"

"The Chôshin."

"What about them? The fact that you will soon be married to the only three of them in the entire universe?"

"No...the fact that they will live damn near forever, and I'll soon be nothing more than a memory."

"Ah, lamenting your mortality, I see."

"Yes."

"I could say that I appreciate your circumstances, lad — but I won't. I've been on the other end of that dilemma for far too long."

"What do you mean?"

Yosho sighed, staring at the same stars as his grandson. "I once had a Terran wife."

"Excuse me?" Tenchi was surprised, to put it mildly. Yosho had lived with Grandma Airi on Earth for a while — thus producing Tenchi's mother — but no one had ever heard of another woman in his life. Ever.

"After I crashed on Earth, and managed to place Ryoko into her crypt, I had no way of knowing how long before — or even if — I would be rescued. There was a real possibility of spending the rest of my life there. And when Funaho started sinking her roots into the soil...well, I started to think about my options."

Tenchi watched his grandfather, who watched his memories.

"I met a kinswoman of my mother's, a distant relative named Kasumi. We fell in love, we got married."

"What happened?" Tenchi asked after a long silence.

"She grew old and died. I watched it happen...and there was nothing I could do for her. Had we been on Jurai, she could have received the antiagathic treatments, and probably still be alive."

"I'm sorry, Grandpa."

"So am I." Yosho shook himself, and turned to his grandson. "Of course, there might have been some real fireworks when Airi did finally find me..."

Tenchi looked at the wry grin, and returned one of his own.

"Kasumi's death damn near tore my heart out. Somehow, I don't think those three women will look back on you as a 'brief interlude'. You are their whole world now. They know full well what price they're going to pay — and they're all willing to pay it. If you're going to feel sorry for someone, feel sorry for them, not yourself; they will have to live with their loss far longer than you can ever imagine."

"But, you still married Grandma Airi..."

"Yes, I did. I love her very much. But she was never a substitute for Kasumi. I cannot promise that the Chôshin won't find other Companions in the eons after you're gone — but I can guarantee that you'll never be replaced." Yosho studied his grandson's profile. "No one is given any promises with their first breath, Tenchi. There are no assurances of a long and happy life; there are no assurances at all. That's why philosophers have been telling us since the dawn of time, 'Live each day as if it's your last.' Remember the Hanami Festival."

Tenchi felt his grandfather's hand on his shoulder, and then Yosho quietly withdrew.

He had to admit, it really wasn't the Chôshin that was bothering him; it was the fact that he would never live to see the culmination of their plans. As an Earthling, the best he could hope for was a century of life; as a Juraian, he could expect to live for a millennium. But those figures were nothing compared to the **billions **of years that the Chôshin had already lived, let alone the future. Yosho was right: he was feeling his mortality.

Yosho had also reminded Tenchi of the Hanami Festival, when the Japanese celebrated the cherry blossom. Every spring, within a ten-day period, the _sakura_ blossoms enjoy a brief, brilliant blooming, followed by their inevitable fall. A very poignant and poetic metaphor for life, their fragility and transience is at once both sobering and inspiring. No one walks past a tree in haste without pausing to admire it...because the blossoms will soon be gone.

The appeal of the event is not in the breath-taking beauty of the blossoms, which cover the trees in clouds of sun-dappled pink petals; rather, it comes from watching (with a tinge of sadness) as they detach, fluttering in the spring breeze on their short journey to the cold earth below. It's a beautiful but melancholy reminder that all life must come to an end. And to take the edge off what could become a depressing experience, the Japanese go all out to have a good time: they get roaring drunk, sing songs, tell stories, laugh and enjoy life to the fullest...because it will soon be over.

The winds of time blew across his memories, shaking them like so many petals:

*At age 6, he was still mourning the loss of his mother, and adjusting to life with his father and grandparents.

*At age 16, he had been wrestling with the decision to become an architect like his father, become a full-time carrot farmer, or become a Shinto priest like his grandfather.

*At age 26, the decision had been made for him: he had become architect, farmer, and priest. He had laid the foundation for a new phase in Juraian interstellar relations, planted the seeds of the next step in human evolution, and was the Great Conductor of the Empathy Wave (which did more to foster interspecies cooperation than anything in recorded galactic history). The blessing/curse of his Lighthawk Wings...and if he died tomorrow, those events alone would be considered a profound legacy.

That was the linchpin, wasn't it? Building a legacy to leave behind, something to bequeath to his children, most of whom — if not all — would be capable of generating their own Lighthawk Wings. A handful at first, their numbers would only increase over time (the Chôshin would see to that). They would, in turn, build their own legacies.

Perhaps that was the new goal of the Chôshin: his great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren would foster advances in science and technology that would dwarf current understanding, based upon widespread exploitation of the Lighthawk Wings. Perhaps some day, lead by the Chôshin, humanity would Transcend.

And when that far-distant day arrived, his lifelong efforts would have long since been distorted over time, from history to legend to fairytale...for everyone except the three entities who were in at the Beginning. They would remember him.

And that was the affirmation he needed; after all, what more could any man ask for?

Once again calm and confident, with shoulders back and head high, he strode through the exit to embrace his destiny.

############# AUTHOR'S NOTES #############

This concludes "The Harem Saga Sequel". I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. While it lacked the scope of the original work, I hope I was able to maintain the spirit of it.

This work is Dedicated to the memory of Nicole Brooks Weaver, aka "Ryokocat", 1986-2005. A fellow author, poet, and dreamer. When someone so talented leaves us, it diminishes us all.

"**Mizaru! Kikazaru! Iwazaru!":**

Literally, "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

The source of this proverb is not known for sure, but is typically associated with three monkeys, where the first is covering his eyes, the second is covering his ears, and the third is covering his mouth. Many believe that the saying may have its origin in a 17th century temple in Japan.

The Nikko Toshogo Shrine, also known as the Sacred Stable, contains a carving of three wise monkeys. Many scholars believe the monkeys were carved as a visual representation of the religious principle, "If we do not hear, see, or speak evil, we ourselves shall be spared all evil." In the Eighth Century, a Buddhist monk from China introduced the three wise monkeys to Japan. They were associated with a fearsome blue-faced deity called Vadjra. It is believed that the monkeys' gestures were a representation of a command of the deity to "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

Or, maybe the saying originated from a play on words. The Japanese word for monkey is 'úsaru', and sounds very similar to the verb-ending 'úzaru'.

**History of Hanami:**

In the ancient period, flower viewing — Hanami — referred to enjoying the blossoms of the Japanese apricot — ume, but since the Heian period (794 - 1185) it has meant 'cherry-blossoms'. Originally a religious ritual, the Hanami was held on a particular day. With the coming of spring it was customary to perform ceremonies prior to the beginning of planting, forecasting the harvest for the year from the condition of the cherry blossoms. Then, likening the cherry trees in full bloom to a bumper harvest of rice, they would celebrate with food and drink under the trees. In those days it was a tradition observed only by the nobility and upper classes.

From medieval times, the way cherry petals fall at the height of their beauty (that is, before they have withered and become unsightly), and the transience of their span, assumed symbolism both in the warrior code and in Buddhism. Soon the cherry blossoms became an expression of the samurai way of life. The custom of Hanami spread to the warrior class, and the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537 - 1598), who played a major role in the unification of the country, held historically grand hanami to flaunt his power. Cherry blossom parties spread to commoners in the era of cultural ferment toward the end of the seventeenth century known as Genroku (1688 - 1704). Families, groups of friends, or workmates would gather for merry feasting and drinking.

Today, Hanami has become little more than a private, popular opportunity for having a good time. Many have forgotten the spirit of celebrating Life In The Moment.

As mentioned elsewhere, the characters of Tenchi Muyo! were created by Masaki Kajashima, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. The attached story, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2006 by Jeffery L. Harris. Said story came entirely from my imagination, and are not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L Harris  
Subject: "The Harem Saga Sequel - Epilogue"

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